Returned
by SkiaWolf
Summary: Two years ago, Tweek Tweak suddenly left South Park. Neither he or his parents told anyone where he went, or why he was going. When he returns, painfully scared of those around him, Craig Tucker and his friends quickly realise that he's not quite the friend that they once knew.
1. Unexpected Surprise

**A/N:** So, through my bad health, I finally managed to start a new story. It's actually an idea I only thought of the other week, but I feel like it might work well, so here it is!

 **Please note that I am NOT American, I am British. If I use any terms which aren't American in speech, please don't be afraid to (nicely) point it out. I'll still be using the English spelling for words, for example, 'colour' rather than 'color'.**

 **Warnings:** Mental health will be mentioned a lot in this story, mainly anxiety, depression and schizophrenia. I am personally not triggered by writing this, but I understand from reading fanfiction that these can affect people. Please be cautious if you think anything could possibly trigger you. I will be sure to add in other warnings in later chapters if I have to. I doubt I have to warn you about language, what with the fact that this _is_ a South Park fanfiction.

Anyway, I can go on sometimes! I hope you enjoy the story.

* * *

 **Returned**

 **Chapter One - Unexpected Surprise**

* * *

Despite it being early April, the morning air was crisp and chilly, making coats, scarves and gloves a priority. The hilltops were filled with snow and it had only just began melting away from the streets a couple of weeks back. This seemingly abnormal weather wasn't, however, rare in the small mountain town named South Park.

Craig Tucker left his house with, as usual, a sigh. Though he was generally emotionless, he was _definitely_ not a morning person. Waking up at the horrific time of seven for school never put him in a good mood and made him more likely give a threatening glare to anyone who dared to piss him off.

"Craig, wait up! Hey, don't ignore me!"

That was one person who he avoided glaring at. If he didn't, she'd probably be in a mood with him for days, which got annoying very quickly. The part of her not annoying him was fine; it was the lectures he got off his mother for 'not being a good brother' which annoyed him.

So he tried not to sigh again as he stopped walking, turning his body round to face her. She took no time at all to catch up to him, and the smile that he received from her was enough to cheer him up a little. She was stunningly beautiful already at just twelve-years-old. She shared the darkness of Craig's blue eyes, but instead of black hair like her sibling, she had strawberry-blonde hair which was usually tied into two low ponytails or pigtails. It was obvious that she was going to have a lot of people falling for her when she was older.

"Ruby, I've already told you that you need to wear a scarf," he frowned when he noticed her bare neck. Without a second thought, he pulled away the black scarf from his neck and wrapped it around hers. Despite how cold he could seem, Craig really did care. Well, he cared for a select few people, with Ruby being one of them. Not that he would admit that, of course.

"I wanted to walk to school with you so I forgot it when I was leaving."

After all these years of being Craig's sister, he would expect that she would be sick of him by now. But she still seemed convinced to walk with him everyday, being as her school was on the way to his.

"Well, try remembering it, okay? I don't want to get a cold because I'm always giving mine to you."

"Okay, okay, I will. Thanks though, Craig."

Craig merely shrugged his shoulders. He usually didn't know how to react to people showing him gratitude. He sometimes responded with 'nah, it's fine' or 'don't mention it', but most of the time, a shrug of his shoulders was good enough for him. Even showing emotion – apart from maybe anger – was something that he didn't like doing. When he actually felt enough emotion for it to show, that is.

"You don't have any plans tonight, do you?" she asked, pouting slightly. "I heard you speaking to Clyde on the phone about you guys playing basketball with Stan and his gang."

"That's tomorrow. I'm staying home tonight, don't worry."

Her pouted lips grew into a smile, "Good."

It had become part of their routine that the two of them would watch anime together on Wednesday nights. Of course, Craig's favourite show was still Red Racer, but he and his sister shared the same like for anime and, though they (especially not Craig) wouldn't say it out loud, enjoyed each other's company.

A couple of minutes later they had arrived at her school. After Craig refused to be given his scarf, she waved and ran over to her friends, who were waiting for her on a bench. He then walked ahead, at a much quicker pace than before. It was often hard for him to slow down his long legs when he was walking with someone much shorter than he was.

Clyde and Token were stood by the school gates when he arrived, as they usually were.

"Hey, Craig!" Clyde called when they noticed Craig on the street. Token simply smiled and nodded in greeting when their friend made it to them.

"Morning," Craig said.

"That sounded a little less dull than it usually does," Token laughed. "Did something good happen?"

"Nah, I just don't feel quite as annoyed at the world as I usually do," Craig said, a smirk growing on his face.

"Well that makes a change," Clyde said, placing the back of his hand on Craig's forehead. "You don't seem to have a fever. This is very strange."

"Don't touch me."

"Stop, before you piss him off again," Token grinned. "We should get to class now."

His two friends nodded and made their way inside the building. Their first lesson was history, which they all shared together. Craig was in a couple of honour classes, as was Token, but they both shared a few with Clyde. As did, coincidentally enough, with several other people they once shared a class with in elementary school. The only exception was Wendy Testaburger, who was above average in all of her classes. Kyle Broflovski was the same, excluding history, which he didn't quite excel at as the rest of his subjects. The fact that he had always shared this class with Eric Cartman probably didn't help.

Craig, Clyde and Token sat in their usual seats in the classroom. Most of the students were already inside when they arrived, being as the lesson was going to begin any minute. Craig cursed silently when he lost a life on a game he was playing on his phone, when he noticed that the chatter from the students around him had quietened dramatically. He turned to Token on his right, an eyebrow raised.

"What's with the silence?" he questioned, his voice naturally quiet.

"Dude, it's _Tweek."_

" _What?_ "

Craig's eyes averted from Token to the blonde who had just entered the classroom, his eyes unblinking as he returned the stares on him from the rest of the class. They seemed impossibly large; the darkness underneath them and the brightness of his turquoise irises made them easily the most noticeable part of his face. His front teeth gnawed at his bottom lip nervously and the way his hand clutched at his shirt only proved his nerves further. Unlike the way it used to be buttoned incorrectly, it was undone with a plain white T-shirt underneath. Perhaps the frustration of not being able to manage buttoning up a shirt got too much and he settled on an easier option.

That, however, wasn't the surprise. None of South Park, maybe not even his parents, had seen Tweek Tweak for years. No one knew where he had gone, though most people presumed either a mental institution or a boarding school, being as his parents had stayed in South Park and never told anyone where their son had gone; their mere answer was that he was 'away'.

But, if Tweek was joining their class, the boarding school option seemed much more likely. No one could just carry on with education as though nothing had happened after two years.

"It seems as though you have already seen our new student," their teacher, Miss Ozkurt, said as she entered the room behind Tweek. She gave him a reassuring smile when she noticed his anxiety, and his hand loosened – but didn't completely lose its grip – on his shirt. "Some of you may already know Tweek. He's going to be in a lot of your classes now, so I expect you to be welcoming. Now, where can you sit… Ah, there's an empty seat behind Eric, why don't you sit there?"

Craig rolled his eyes at that suggestion, hardly able to believe that they still believed Cartman's 'I'm such a good student' act. Making an anxiety-ridden teenager with a lot of obvious issues sit behind an insensitive, racist and just an overall asshole was one of the worst decisions in the world.

It was obvious Tweek thought this too, but apparently he was too nervous to say anything. With a brief nod of his head, he scurried in between the desks to sit down.

"Okay, so today we'll simply be continuing from our last lesson. Please turn to page 178 and answer the questions on there. If you need any help, just come over to my desk."

The room was then filled with the noise of pages rustling and simple conversation between the students. After Craig started to answer the first question in the textbook, he found himself glancing over at Tweek behind him. Between Craig and Cartman there was only one student, who was Butters, so it wasn't difficult at all to peer at him. His hand was writing on his paper furiously, as though he only had a minute to answer all of the questions. Craig couldn't decide whether his lips were pursed to stop him from making random outbursts like he used to or if it was simply out of concentration.

"So, Tweek, which nut house did your parents decide to finally send you to?"

Craig found his eyes narrowing when Tweek looked up, panicked and clearly unsure of what to say. Butters, who Craig was now trying to look past to glare at Cartman, seemed as though he was contemplating whether or not to say something. Apparently, Craig wasn't the only one who had thought what Cartman said was completely rude and unnecessary. Sure, Craig wasn't the friendliest person in the world, but he knew when to keep his mouth shut and that there were some things you just don't say.

Luckily, he didn't have to say a word himself, for Kyle had turned around, looking angry.

"Don't be such an asshole, Cartman."

"Come on, we all know that's where he went, he's cra-"

"Cartman!"

"Jesus Kahl, calm your tits."

"Dude, just leave him be," said Stan, who was sitting next to Kyle, as he turned to face Cartman himself. "Keep your comments to yourself and don't be such a dick."

"Whatever, hippie," Cartman said as he rolled his eyes, but looked down at his work and carried on with the questions. History was probably the only subject Cartman would happily do the work for, apart from German.

"Th-Thanks," Tweek mumbled in a voice so quiet that Craig wasn't completely sure if he had heard it. Stan and Kyle simply smiled, before getting on with their own work, quietly chatting to each other and Kenny beside them.

"Dude, are you listening?"

"Sorry, what did you say?" Craig said, leaning forward to look past Token at Clyde.

"I was just saying to you both that it's weird, seeing Tweek again and everything."

"We all got used to him being gone; I guess we never thought about him returning," Token added.

"Yeah, it is pretty weird," Craig said, glancing once again at Tweek for a short moment. "I wasn't expecting it."

"So where _do_ you think he might have gone?" asked Clyde, lowering his voice slightly. Craig shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, I'm guessing a boarding school or something."

"Yeah, that'd make sense," Token agreed. "Unless he just went to stay with a family member. It must have been something where he had education; he seems to be fine with work."

Craig nodded in agreement, staying silent as he began to write again. The topic sparked his interest and he was just as curious as anyone about where Tweek _had_ been for the last two years, but for a reason he couldn't quite grasp, it felt uncomfortable for him to speak about someone so nearby. He usually didn't care, whether they were out of earshot or not, but it clearly must have been a secret if he didn't say where he had been, same with his parents. Craig wasn't the kind of person to pressure someone into revealing something they didn't want to, indirectly or not. This didn't fully explain his discomfort, however, considering he knew that Tweek couldn't hear them – he wasn't reacting at all to their words and was simply continuing to write at a surprisingly fast pace.

When the lesson had ended, Craig, Clyde and Token were asked to wait behind for a moment. All three were confused as they waited, but soon understood when she spoke to them.

"Is it possible if the three of you could keep an eye on Tweek? Perhaps you could even invite him to sit with you at lunch today? The poor thing is a nervous wreck, bless him, and he's not used to being in a public high school. I've been told that you all used to be friends years ago so I thought it would be best to ask you."

"That wouldn't be a problem," Token smiled. Craig and Clyde nodded in agreement.

It was hard to believe that they _did_ used to be friends all those years ago. As horrible as it may seem, Craig could barely remember the times they had spent with Tweek, aside from a couple of memorable moments. The most he could recall was Tweek's sudden outbursts, his coffee addiction and the way he had been paranoid about everything. He wasn't sure how much Tweek had changed from this, but he seemed to have changed at least a little bit if he didn't cry out randomly in class or start rambling about some government conspiracy.

Still, being in his presence at lunch was going to be strange, and neither of them knew how Tweek was going to react to an invitation.

* * *

To say that Craig was distracted that evening would be an understatement.

He and Ruby were sat in his room, lounging on his bed as they watched television. At least, Ruby was. Craig was more looking at it without taking in what was happening.

"Yeah, you go Kirito!" Ruby yelled as she raised her fist into the air. She lowered it, however, when she saw Craig's lack of reaction, to either what had just happened _or_ to tell her to be quieter. "Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing, I'm just tired," he said as he shifted into a more upright position as though he had just been startled out of a trance.

The shock of Tweek's return earlier that day started to subside in his next lesson, and even though he was still curious about where he had been, he was beginning to shrug it off. He usually didn't bother thinking over things for very long. However, what stopped him from completely forgetting about it was his reactions.

It wasn't much of a surprise about Tweek panicking when he was asked if he would like to sit with Craig, Clyde and Token during lunch, being as that was similar to how he used to behave. He had said yes after making sure that it wasn't any trouble for them, and though that seemed a little different to how he probably would have previously thought it was part of some government plot, it wasn't a huge deal. It was how he acted during lunch itself which surprised Craig and made Tweek plague his thoughts.

Tweek had sat down waiting for them while they got their food in the cafeteria, being as he could only eat food either himself or his parents made (due to his worry over germs and other horrible things). Craig found himself glancing over at Tweek multiple times while he was standing in the queue and frowned when he saw that Tweek wasn't just sitting nervously, he looked _scared._ Scared of what, Craig wasn't sure, but Tweek's expression and body language was clearly showing fear. He glanced around at people in the room, observing them as though they would do something to him any minute, and he recoiled from people walking by. They usually chuckled, but Craig found this anything but amusing. He couldn't deny that some of Tweek's outbursts in the past had amused him, but this wasn't just a random cry or shouting 'Jesus Christ!' at his own thoughts; this was true fear of sitting in a perfectly safe environment where he wouldn't be harmed (and if anyone tried, no doubt that the wondrous Kyle and Wendy would step in immediately, followed by Stan most likely, before Craig could even raise his fist). It was actually something which was painful to see, and it only calmed down a slight bit when Craig and his two friends sat down next to Tweek.

He also, which was probably a shock to anyone who had previously knew Tweek, was shocked at Tweek's lack of coffee. In his hands, instead, was a bottle of water. Perhaps he had been advised to give up coffee? It seemed likely from the way his eyes sometimes glanced over at people's own cups of coffee enviously. Craig wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing – Tweek seemed to be shaking less and didn't seem to have such a dangerously high amount of caffeine in his system, but he also seemed a bit lost without it.

Tweek just seemed lost generally, sitting as though he didn't quite belong there, as though the place he had just been was more fitting for him, or at least was something he had gotten used to. It couldn't have been more obvious that he wasn't used to this normal high school life. Lots of people felt uncomfortable in high school, Craig knew that, but this went past the regular behaviour of a teenager. Saying that, Tweek had always been far from regular.

Craig eventually decided that it wasn't something he should keep thinking about. Tweek probably just needed a little bit of time to get adjusted, that's all. He'd probably be back to normal – or at least, normal for him – in a few days time.

And so, after thinking this to himself, the nagging thoughts about the unusual blonde slowly began to vanish.

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! It's been a while since I've written a SP fanfic, but I wanted to give it another go considering it's my favourite to write for.

If you don't mind leaving a review, that would be greatly appreciated! I love hearing people's thoughts and writing can be hard for me being as writing with a severe constant headache every second of the day (plus ten other pains all the time), so having a few words makes the effort worth it. Thanks to anyone who does, and also, thank you for reading!


	2. Harshness

**A/N:** Thanks to the couple of people who have started following this and have added it to their favourites, I really hope you like my writing!

I hope you enjoy the chapter.

* * *

 **Returned**

 **Chapter Two - Harshness**

* * *

By Monday the following week, everyone had seemed to already be forgetting about Tweek's return. He still got some glances, which were obviously due to his strange behaviour, but they seemed to not be because he had returned.

He was still very quiet among Craig and his friends, and didn't actually make any noise whatsoever around them until they were sitting together at lunchtime on Monday, where he had laughed at something Craig said. After that, he sort of drifted in and out of the conversation when he knew what to say, the words being spoken in a rushed and slightly embarrassed manner. It was still, however, an improvement to the complete silence he had sat in on Thursday and Friday, the two days after his return.

The thought of inviting Tweek to the cinema with the group on Sunday did cross his mind briefly, but he quickly shrugged it off. He was far from calling them friends and wasn't even completely sure if they would _ever_ be friends again. Plus, he realised that the noise of the movie and the people sitting among them would probably be too stressful, so he decided to just leave seeing Tweek again until Monday. It wasn't exactly something he had been looking forward to, he had to admit, but when Tweek actually spoke, it made being in his presence a little more enjoyable.

He was only sat near Tweek in one lesson, which was art. He didn't share this class with either Token and Clyde, and though he would make small conversation if spoken to, he usually didn't bother talking to the others in the class. The person he could stand the most in it was Kyle, but he sat on the other side of the classroom, so he usually stayed even quieter than usual. This is why he didn't mind Tweek being put next to him. Of course, he responded with a shrug when asked by the teacher, but he had no objections. It wasn't until this Monday though, that they actually properly spoke in this lesson.

"Holy shit," Craig stated simply when he peered over at Tweek's sketchbook. The blonde usually covered it with his hands embarrassingly when people tried to look, but he had been too distracted with his colouring to stop Craig from looking.

"Huh?" Tweek said, confused, before he noticed which direction Craig's eyes were facing. He gasped and quickly closed the sketchbook, his face slowly turning pink. "Oh God, don't look, i-it's embarrassing..."

"Come on, let me look."

"N-No!"

"It looked great, I want to see it again."

Tweek hesitated, biting his lip, before he flipped the pages back to the drawing Craig had been looking at and placed it onto Craig's desk steadily. A small grin grew on Craig's face – he would never accept no for an answer.

He carefully placed a couple of fingers on the sketchbook to pull it closer to him so he could inspect the art with more ease. It was truly beautiful; a female elf drawn in a semi-realistic style, coloured with the most wonderfully picked shades, was looking back at him with large green eyes, framed with long eyelashes, as strands of her red hair blew by her face. Craig vaguely remembered Tweek speaking to their art teacher the previous week about him selecting fantasy for the theme that they had to submit work for. Honestly, Craig thought Tweek's work was a hundred times better than his own. It seemed as though he couldn't have picked a better theme to work with.

"You're fucking amazing."

"Re-Really?" Tweek questioned, his eyes widening. He looked down at the drawing, his expression suggesting that he saw the artwork in a much different way than Craig did.

"Yeah, definitely. You've got a lot of talent."

"Thank you..." he mumbled, looking embarrassed – but complimented – from Craig's words. He accepted the sketchbook when it was handed to him, and quickly carried on adding pink to the girl's cheeks. Craig found himself watching as he did so. Not Tweek's drawing, but Tweek himself. He had always been one to not care about gender, but he found himself thinking that Tweek was actually attractive. It was easier to notice when he wasn't pulling his own hair out of fear. After a moment of thought, Craig settled on 'cute' being the word to describe him.

He looked away when he felt like he had been staring for too long. Not because he felt uncomfortable, if Tweek had caught him staring he probably wouldn't have cared, but because it would probably make Tweek even more nervous than he is generally.

Damn, he _definitely_ was cute though.

When the school bell rang several minutes later, Craig thought that poor Tweek would have ended up having a heart attack. He was always on edge, like a wild animal protecting their newborns. Every noise and movement seemed to startle him, and as Craig was an observant person, he was even able to notice it when it was more subtle.

Observant or not, he wasn't expecting a hand to grab onto his arm when he exited the classroom, his legs about to walk at a brisk pace so he could just go home and play video games. He turned, about to snap at the person to let go of him, but managed to hold his tongue when he found Tweek looking up at him with those impossibly large eyes.

For once, he had an urge to laugh. Not even Kyle or Butters had to crane their neck that much to look at Craig in the eyes – not that they'd dare to, anyway.

"U-Um, Craig?"

"Yeah?" he asked, looking away for a brief moment to flip off Clyde further down the hallway, who was waving at him, before his eyes landed back on Tweek.

"W-Well..." Tweek started, quickly releasing his grip on Craig's arm when he noticed he was still holding onto it. Apparently, Craig's gesture to Clyde had made him more nervous. He didn't know why; it wasn't exactly rare for him to be rude to his best friends. "I was just wo-wondering if maybe you could, well, w-walk home with me? Oh God, that sounds pathetic, I-I know… I just usually get picked up but my dad doesn't do that anymore because he said I needed to learn to do things on my own, b-but what if I got robbed? Or kidnapped? Or even _murdered?_ J-Jesus Christ, I-"

"Woah, calm the fuck down, I'll walk home with you!"

He hadn't meant to sound so rude. Well, maybe he did, at least partly. He didn't think that Tweek would calm down otherwise.

"O-Oh God, I got too paranoid again, didn't I?" Tweek asked, suddenly looking horrified. Craig found himself frowning a little – never in the past did Tweek fear being too paranoid. He only seemed to have feared whatever was making him paranoid. "Th-Thank you."

"Nah, don't mention it," Craig shrugged, only just realising what he had gotten himself into. Would Tweek be any better if he's just in one person's presence, or was he going to be more nervous due to being outside? There was only one way to find out.

The oddly different pair exited the school and made their way off the ground. It was this moment that Tweek had to tug on Craig's arm – it turned out Tweek's house was in the opposite direction to the way to Craig's house, which made Craig start to regret this decision. Why had he even agreed to in the first place? After only a couple of seconds of thinking, he decided it was just because he had wanted Tweek to calm down.

They had been walking for around ten minutes when Craig spoke up.

"So how far do you live, anyway?"

"W-We're halfway there."

He found himself almost groaning. He usually didn't mind people being silent, being as he could simply listen to music, but he thought that Tweek might panic or something if Craig wasn't able to listen out for any possible criminal that played a part in the confusing mind of his.

Silence was a lot less enjoyable when he didn't have one of his favourite bands blasting into his ears.

"So, uh..." Craig said slowly. He rarely paused, but the question that was on the tip of his tongue was one which he couldn't decide if it was too intrusive or not. Curiosity got the better of him. "Where exactly did you-"

"Don't ask me that," Tweek said quickly, the tone of desperation surprising Craig. "Please, don't."

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry," Craig said, raising both of his hands into the air. He winced slightly at how didn't _sound_ very sorry. He was just shocked at how quick Tweek was to avoid the question Craig wasn't even close to finishing, not to mention that he was just generally bad at apologising. It probably didn't help that he rarely gave genuine apologies.

"I-It's fine, just..." Tweek stammered, looking down at his shoes. "It's private."

"Okay, that's fine. I was just curious; you don't have to tell me."

Tweek nodded his head, clearly feeling a lot more uncomfortable than he had been previously. Craig silently cursed at himself. Why did he have to be an asshole and ask something both he and his parents were obviously very secretive about?

"I'm sorry, I didn't think," he said. Rarely did he apologise more than once, but he thought that it was necessary. At least this time he actually sounded genuine.

"I-It's okay."

Clearly, it was anything but 'okay'.

After ten minutes of walking, filled with tension that you could cut through with a knife, they had arrived at Tweek's house. It was the exact same one that he had lived in two years ago. It was strange to see it again.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Tweek nodded, mumbling a quick 'thank you' before he hurried up the path to his house. Craig was dawdling as he did so, being as his phone had vibrated in his pocket.

"Tweek, is that Craig Tucker over there?"

Craig, after he finished typing out a reply to his mother, looked up at the sound of his name. Tweek's mother and father had just exited a car on the driveway and were making their way over to their son. One black eyebrow raised when they kept glancing over at Craig.

Tweek nodded silently.

"The Tuckers live in a completely different direction to the school," Tweek's father frowned. "Does this mean that you asked him to walk you home?"

"W-Well, yeah…"

"The reason I wanted to stop giving you a lift was so that you can get used to walking on your own again, not so that you can make an old friend of yours walk you home."

"It was only for the f-first time as-"

"You've been _told_ , Tweek. How the hell are you going to start acting like a normal sixteen-year-old if you can't even walk by yourself and have to drag someone else along?"

Craig was honestly stunned at how Tweek's father was speaking to him. He could never remember him being that cruel. Because of this, he decided to speak up.

"Hey, I really don't-"

"You're really not going to get any better if this carries on," Tweek's mother said, ignoring Craig completely. "You need to do what you've been told to do, alright?"

"A-Alright," Tweek said quietly. Craig unintentionally started to grit his teeth, his dark eyes narrowing. Two parents shouldn't talk to their son like that just because he had anxiety about being on his own. Sure, he needed to get past it, but throwing him head-first into the deep end wasn't going to do anything but make him drown in his own issues.

"I'm sorry if you are late home because of this, sweetheart," Tweek's mother apologised, her eyes finally shifting to Craig. He didn't like one bit how much her voice had softened. It was a startlingly dramatic change.

"I am too," his father added, also turning to look at Craig. "If you want, I could give you a lift home."

"It's fine, I can walk," Craig replied, not bothering in the slightest to hide the highly evident distaste in his voice. "I'll see you tomorrow, Tweek."

"Y-Yeah, bye."

Craig began walking away slowly, watching the family enter their house. He _would_ have appreciated that lift being as he had half an hour of walking to do, but there was no way in hell that he was going to be in the same car as someone as awful as that.

* * *

"Mom, what do you think of the Tweaks?"

"The Tweaks? They seem like nice people to me, but I haven't spoken to them since you were friends with their son years ago. Why do you ask?"

Why exactly did Craig ask his mother this? He guessed that it was mainly due to how he wanted to know what other people thought what they were like. Did anyone else witness how they treated their son? If they had, did they find it normal? Was Craig just over-thinking their behaviour? They could have just wanted the best for their son, after all.

But the harsh tone of both parents made it seem like, even if they _did_ just want the best for Tweek, they weren't exactly all too friendly towards their son.

"Craig?"

"Oh, right," Craig blinked, realising he hadn't replied yet. "They just seemed… Well, a bit rude to Tweek. I was just wondering if they had been like that to anyone else."

"Well, every time I've spoken to them, they've been nothing but friendly. Your father and I used to always go and get coffee together, and we were always served with smiles. I can't imagine them being anything but kind to their son. How were they being rude?"

"They were really harsh to him about me walking him home because of his anxiety. I understood part of what they were saying, but they were being pretty horrible."

"If they're how you can be when you're horrible, then they must have been bad," she chuckled. "But I can imagine they just wanted him to go out on his own so he could get stronger. Maybe they were just angry because if he leans on other people for help, he won't grow on his own."

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Craig said, seeing sense in her words, but still wasn't entirely convinced. Apparently, his mother was able to hear the hint of doubt in his voice.

"Try not to worry about it, Craig. I'm sure that they treat him fine. If they didn't, Tweek probably wouldn't have been allowed to return to them. You were probably just there while they were angry and not at their best."

In the past, Craig would have just listened to those words, accepted them, and quickly forgotten about his concerns. But all of this just didn't seem _right._ Tweek's sudden disappearance, his parents' being secretive about it all, them speaking harshly to him rather than express their feelings calmly. None of this seemed very kind to him.

Damn, only around five days later, Tweek was once again plaguing his thoughts. He didn't know why he even cared; he hardly cared for anyone these days, but he apparently did for Tweek. The realisations were now hitting him; he missed his old friend, the one who had somehow settled into Craig's gang during their early high school years, the one who had always been strange, even in elementary, but was still watched over by his friends. Yes, he was different, but Craig could recall him having a big heart. Now he was even more different, in a much more upsetting way. Craig _missed_ the old Tweek.

It was that moment, as he sat besides his mother on the sofa, that he was going to do anything he could to get that Tweek back.

* * *

 **A/N:** It wasn't quite as long as I usually make my chapters, but I decided to stop here as I thought it was a good moment to.

If it's possible for you to leave a review before you go, that would be greatly appreciated. I love hearing people's thoughts; they help give me the motivation to continue, plus I just love knowing your opinion.

Until the next update!


	3. Friendship

**A/N:** I'm glad I managed to get this updated before I go away tomorrow. We're going three days early so thank God I already had this done! Enjoy.

* * *

 **Returned**

 **Chapter Three - Friendship**

* * *

It was a beautiful night. No clouds covered the bright stars sparkling in the darkness, nor did they cover the crescent moon in the sky. It was rare, that the night would be so clear in South Park. And yet, a pair of huge turquoise eyes weren't staring at this sight in awe. They were stared down at the carpet, as hands ran through messy strands of blonde hair.

The request had been so simple, even Tweek wasn't as worried about it as he could have been. But of _course,_ there _had_ to be consequences. He should have just walked home by himself, but no, his anxiety had to take over. Though the harsh words spat by his parents both outside and inside the house probably was worse than how anxious he was walking through the streets he had been away from for years.

He brought his knees up under his chin, his mind racing with thoughts that shouldn't be crossing his mind at two in the morning. What if he couldn't get these issues of his under control and he had to leave again? What if he could never live among normal people living their perfectly fine lives?

' _So much white, so much white, so much white…'_

The words echoed in his mind over and over again, sending himself into a whirl of panic. When he felt the dampness of tears on his cheeks, he bit down onto his lip to make sure that he didn't into make a noise. He hadn't quite realised just how hard his teeth had been digging into the skin until he could taste blood.

' _I really am insane,'_ he thought to himself, among every other worry and memory crammed in his brain. That was a word that had been used to describe him countless times, and though he had been in denial years ago, he had known for a long time it was true.

It disappointed his parents more than it disappointed himself. His mother had only been able to have one child, and they were a failure. No parent wishes to have a child which such severe mental issues. They wish to have a healthy, well-functioned child, not a child which is anything far from normal. He was unwanted, he knew that. It was only now that he was accepting that heartache.

* * *

"Look out, Clyde, Craig is looking a little moody this morning..."

"Shut the fuck up."

"Dude, what's up with you?" Clyde asked, frowning at the lack of amusement both in Craig's voice and on his face.

"I've just got things on my mind. Not a big deal."

"You never let things be on your mind in the first place," said Token. "So this is obviously _is_ some kind of deal. We're your friends, Craig, so tell us what's wrong."

He did just that, knowing that his friends weren't ones to back down when they knew something was wrong with him – which was extremely rare. He told them about Tweek's parents, how it was making him worried, and how he wasn't even sure why he cared so much, but he did and couldn't have been more concerned about how Tweek was being treated. Clyde and Token hung onto every word, staying silent except from the odd 'really?' and 'oh God', as they mainly responded in nodding their heads. Craig was glad that they were actually willing to listen, as well as the fact that he got there early enough for them not to be late for their first lesson due to – what he thought they were going to call it, at least – his unneeded worrying.

"Well, I can kind of see where your mom is coming from..." Token started, making Craig almost groan. "But I think that there _is_ something worth worrying about here."

"Yeah, I mean, isn't a bit weird how he just disappears for two years and then suddenly returns, different than how he used to be?" Clyde questioned.

"Wait, you've noticed that too?" Craig asked, slightly surprised. He thought it might have just been him and his strangely amazing observing skills.

"It was a bit hard not to, really."

"Yeah, I've noticed that as well," Token added. "Like I said, I think your mom does have a point when it comes to how his parents might just want him to grow on his own and they were angry about him not obeying that, but you have a good reason to be concerned."

"I'm pretty glad that it's not just me being paranoid… But why do I even give a shit?"

That question probably would have been a shock to anyone else, but this _was_ Craig Tucker, after all. He usually didn't care about anyone except from Token, Clyde and his family.

"Well, we did all used to be friends a while ago, didn't we? I guess that friendship just doesn't disappear completely, even after two years."

"I mean, say I got kidnapped or something," Clyde stated. "And I came back after like, three years. You wouldn't have just thought 'I don't really care about that guy anymore'."

"If you got kidnapped I would hunt that bastard down and kill him."

" _Exactly."_

"Wait, Clyde, I'm sure that Craig wouldn't actually kill someone."

"I would if that son-"

"No, I didn't actually _mean_ he would kill them. Or, hopefully not kill him," Clyde laughed. "But you wouldn't just sit back and accept it, at least not straight away. It was the same with Tweek. Remember how worried we were at first? We went right round their house and demanded where he was. We only calmed down after we stormed past them at their front door and went up to Tweek's bedroom to make sure that he had actually gone somewhere willingly with his things. And after that, sure, we moved on and started to forget about him, but it's not like the memories erased themselves or anything."

"He's right," said Token. "So it's normal for you to still care about him, Craig. You may have gotten used to not being around him, but that doesn't mean he vanished from your memory entirely."

 _This_ was why these two were Craig's friends. Despite being victims of Craig's rudeness a lot of the time, they still cared and always provided reason. They weren't just friends providing unhelpful statements like 'I don't really know' and 'I'm sure he's okay'; they were talking with him, helping him to understand himself. He sure hoped that they knew just how much he appreciated them. They must have known – why else would they have stuck around since elementary?

"You're right, Token," Craig said, allowing his lips to grow into what was a very small smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Both of you are."

"Of course we are; what kind of friends would we be if we weren't?" Clyde chuckled.

"I think the most we can do for now is just be there for him and show him that we're still here, despite us not being friends for years," said Token. Both Craig and Clyde nodded, agreeing silently. No other words were needed; it seemed as though Craig wasn't the only one who had missed their old friend.

* * *

Showing Tweek that they were there for him was exactly what they did.

They avoided making it obvious, as none of them wanted Tweek to feel like they were being friendly to him just because they felt like they had to. Instead, they did it subtly, by talking about going round to Token's house to play video games together, and then acting as though they had just made the plans to there and then for Friday night. To not make Tweek feel like he was added because they felt sorry for him, they asked him just as they were talking about their plans if he wanted to come along as well. He seemed unbelievably surprised, as though it was the strangest thing in the world that _they_ would invite _him_ to play video games with them.

Craig had cursed silently when Tweek had seemed extremely anxious at first about playing the games, realising that perhaps it wasn't the best thing to invite him along to. But then, after Craig thoroughly explained the controls, Tweek soon started to be a lot less anxious and actually turned out to be better than Token and Clyde. He was even a challenge for Craig, or at least, he almost was. There wasn't anyone who was better than Craig.

The playing video games had been followed by ordering a pizza (which Token could only do when his parents weren't in the house, as they preferred him to eat their very healthy and equally expensive food), which just added to the enjoyment of the evening spent together. It was strange to see Tweek be as carefree as he was this evening. Every so often, his eyes would glance around nervously, mainly if he heard a noise, but at least he was having fun. It seemed as though having fun was one of the things Tweek was heavily in need of and had lacked in it over the last two years.

As well as giving Tweek the fun and relaxation he definitely needed, all three of them exchanged phone numbers with him. The look of happiness on Tweek's face as he realised he had true friends now was one of the most heart-warming things Craig had ever seen, and it was rare that he would feel so touched. This was another reason which made Token's idea of his three friends sleeping over that night seem like a great one, but unfortunately, Tweek had to refuse due to him working the night shift at Tweek Bros. Feeling guilty about leaving Tweek out, Token suggested the next Friday for them instead, and after a moment of hesitation, Tweek said that he would ask his parents if he could take that night off.

Apparently, his night shifts didn't end until late, for Craig had glanced at his phone to find Tweek calling him at two in the morning.

"What's up?" he greeted simply.

"G-God, I know it's late, I-I'm sorry..."

"Nah, it's fine, I was awake. I just need to make sure I don't wake Ruby up."

"O-Okay, that's good, I just, uh, I re-really need to talk to someone."

"Are you okay?" Craig asked, frowning, as he sat up a little straighter.

"Y-Yeah, I just had to go home early a-as I have homework to do tomorrow and my mom told me to close early to get sleep. I ha-hate walking home in the dark."

"Fucking hell."

"G-God, I know I'm annoying, sorry-"

"No, I didn't say that because of _you_. I said that because of your parents making you walk home in the dark this late."

Craig personally couldn't care less when he had to walk home late at night, but that's because he was a fairly strong teenager and was still growing despite already being just over six foot. Tweek was skinny and _definitely_ not six foot. That combined with his anxiety and paranoia… Craig could only try to imagine how scared he must feel, especially if he came across any drunk adults outside a pub.

"O-Oh. Yeah, I do these shifts a lot, s-so they want me to build my co-confidence in case I have to go home early again."

"That's not right, Tweek. It isn't-"

He quickly stopped himself. Saying that it wasn't safe for someone like Tweek to be out alone at this time wasn't going to help in the slightest.

"It isn't fair for them to treat you this way."

"I-I guess not."

Craig sighed as he brushed back his raven hair. The way Tweek sounded doubtful gave the impression that perhaps he didn't quite see this as unfair. Are these methods of 'helping' Tweek's mental issues something which happened a lot?

"I'll stay on the phone to you until you get home. How far do you have to walk?"

Of course, he would have much rather left his house to find Tweek, but after what happened last time he did that, he decided against it.

"O-Only about ten minutes or s-so."

"Okay, that isn't as bad as I thought it might have been."

"A-Are you sure you're okay to talk to m-me? I d-don't want you to get into trouble or anything…"

"Honestly Tweek, it's fine. I usually go to bed late anyway."

"Alright..."

He wasn't surprised at the high amount of uncertainty evident in Tweek's voice. It didn't annoy him, however; some people needed a lot of reassurance, and it was definitely understandable that Tweek was one of those people. Craig's successful attempts at making conversation seemed to reassure him enough, and by the time that Tweek reached his street and was ready to hang up, he seemed a lot calmer than he had been previously.

"Thanks Craig, I-I really appreciate it."

"No problem. See you on Monday?"

"Y-Yeah, see you."

After ending the call, Craig fell back on the bed, suddenly feeling tired. It didn't take him long at all to drift off into sleep, thoughts of a troubled blonde plaguing his mind as he did so.

* * *

 **A/N:** I won't be updating for a while because of my holiday. I might write out some of the chapter on my iPod, but I'm unsure yet. I guess I shall wait and see, huh?

If anyone could take the time to leave a review, that would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for reading.


	4. Worsened

**A/N:** I managed to get this written in a week after coming back off holiday! It's not very long but I didn't want to leave it too long before I updated.

I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

 **Returned**

 **Chapter Four - Worsened**

* * *

The tone of Craig's voice and his words left Tweek questioning his parent's techniques to improve his mental health even more so than he had already been. Yes, they had been harsh… But didn't they just want what was best for him? The doctors had said encouragement was needed, otherwise Tweek would never move on from his problems. But after what Craig had said, maybe what they were doing went far beyond encouragement. It _did_ seem unreasonable, making Tweek walk home on his own at that time of night. The thoughts of being harmed might be far-fetched during the daytime, but at night, they might not have been just as exaggerated as Tweek thought they had been. It was hard for him to tell though. So many scenarios he had unwillingly imagined in the past had been called 'crazy', he had been called paranoid, he knew almost anything and anyone made him anxious. This made it harder and harder to be able to take what he really had to worry about away from worries over minor problems, or ones that made no sense and were near-impossible to happen.

At least he had his friends back. It seemed like an eternity since he had been friends with them. Of course, he naturally worried about them growing tired of him and simply not bothering to even try and be friends with him anymore, but the thought of having true friends was managing to somehow overpower that. It felt foreign to have people seem so caring. He had long gone past the stage of seeing his parents as that, even if they _did_ just want what was best. Their methods of making Tweek grow certainly showed that they were no longer caring, if they ever were in the first place, that is.

His head fell back against his pillow, his eyes fluttering closed. He was still becoming adjusted to feeling tiredness. Perhaps giving up coffee was actually one of the very few good things which he had been told to do. It was hard at first, being as he had drunk it for so long. But, for at least his physical health, the less caffeine running through his system definitely had its benefits. He missed the energy it gave him, however. The general insomnia he suffered from prevented him from having that energy.

Luckily, the sound of Craig's voice on the phone had relaxed him, and he was able to feel sleep slowly creeping in. A rare smile managed to grow on his face. It was small, but still a smile nonetheless. That was precisely how he fell asleep; slightly smiling, his mind focusing on the monotone voice of Craig Tucker which somehow had the power to calm him.

* * *

Tweek was surprised when he woke, simply because it was rare that he would actually sleep. Who knew that something as small as a phone call could make him feel so at ease? In the circumstance that he was in last night, he thought that nothing would have been able to keep him calm, at least partly. He wasn't even sure how a guy who was typically a little rude to everyone could seem so caring. Or was that just how anyone would act in that situation? He wasn't really sure, the only thing he was sure about was that he definitely had a friend in Craig again. And this time, it seemed stronger than it had been before. He was grateful for that. Perhaps having such good friends was the thing that he needed, not the unhelpful suggestions and orders from his parents.

One of the best things about his friends was how they didn't make it obvious that they knew Tweek needed help. A lot of friends would act uncomfortable in their situation, making it clear that they had no idea what to say and blurted things about how they hoped Tweek's mental health would get better. Sure, those kind of phrases were helpful for some people, but Tweek didn't like hearing his problems being spoken of out loud. They made him feel different from others, that he wasn't _normal_ like they were. It seemed like his friends knew this.

Surprisingly enough, most of the support came from Craig.

" _If you ever need help or anything like you did the other night, just ring me or whatever. I don't mind listening."_

It was simple, Tweek knew that. Some people said those kind of things all the time. But that's exactly what made it special. Craig _wasn't_ the type of person to say something like that a lot.

That fact alone made Tweek feel like he had a space in Craig's heart.

* * *

If Craig thought his anger had been bad previously, then he obviously had no idea just how badly it could increase further.

The following week of school had passed with no more incidents with Tweek's parents, at least as far as he knew. But then on a Friday, the day where Tweek generally seemed more relaxed with the knowledge he would spend the evening with his friends, something had to happen to trigger his anxiety. This time, it wasn't actually his parents. Instead, Eric Cartman apparently was unable to not unnecessarily insult someone.

It had been at the end of the day, and the four friends were going to meet at the front of the school before they went to Craig's house. But while he had been travelling through the corridors, Tweek had been stopped by Cartman, who was ignoring Butters behind him.

"Hey, you never _did_ answer my question, did you, Tweek?" Cartman smirked, putting one foot forward to stop Tweek sidestepping and continue down the corridor. With his back against the wall, it was hard to get away. Plus, Cartman always had the power to stop him in his tracks without even needing to touch him.

"W-Why does it matter?" he mumbled.

"I'm just really, _really_ curious. Like, why is it such a secret?"

Cartman leaned forward, the smirk on his face growing.

"Eric, you-"

"Shut it, Butters, just go home. I was right, wasn't I? Your parents got sick of you and how weird you are and sent you off to a nuthouse."

"Th-That's not-"

"Yeah, it is. Clearly it didn't work though, you're still as crazy as ever, you just don't drink coffee anymore. So tell me, what was it like? Was it scary? Did you spend all your time wishing you were home? Were you locked in one of those padded rooms? Come on, tell me."

Tweek's eyes shifted to the side of him. The exit was right there, just at the end of the corridor. But Cartman's piercing gaze froze him, making him look back at the unpleasant face. He gulped, completely clueless as to what to say.

"You're ashamed of it, right? That's why you're silent. You don't want anyone to know how _crazy_ you are, but you can't fool me like you can everyone else, Tweek. I-"

" _CARTMAN!"_

Tweek jumped at the unexpected shout, turning his head to the person it belonged to. Craig was hurrying down the corridor, his long legs carrying him at an impossible speed, a much smaller Butters trying to catch up behind him. Craig must have been just outside the building, and Tweek was thankful that Butters had found him in such little time.

"What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing?" Craig demanded, livid. Tweek blinked – he had never seen Craig get so emotional over something before, even if the emotion was anger.

"I'm just asking the questions everyone wants the answers to," Cartman shrugged.

"Stay the fuck away from Tweek. Don't you _dare_ open that fucking mouth of yours to him again, you hear me? Get a life and stop ruining other people's."

"His life's already ruined, what I say won't-"

He stopped when Tweek suddenly darted past them both and out of the exit. Craig gave Cartman a furious glare, before he wasted no time to follow his friend out of the building. Thanks to his height, he caught up to Tweek soon enough, and gently grabbed his arm.

"Tweek, it's okay, don't listen to him," Craig said, ignoring the stares of the people around them as he placed both of his hands on Tweek's shoulders and looked down at him. "Don't cry because of him. He's just an asshole who insults other people because he can't deal with his own problems."

 _'I'm crying?'_ Tweek thought to himself, raising one hand to his face, realising that Craig was correct when he felt the dampness of his cheek. He then glanced around, suddenly noticing the people surrounding them. Craig saw this and removed one hand, the other moving to Tweek's back to guide him around the side of the building, where there were less people. As soon as they were there, he was back to standing in front of Tweek, his hand sliding back to Tweek's shoulder. He thought that contact might have helped. Not to mention that he was almost convinced that if he let go, Tweek's knees would give away underneath him.

"Tweek, listen to me. I don't know exactly what he said, but no matter what it was, you need to ignore him. There is no reason at all to listen to people like that. What he said was probably not even true, he-"

"But it _was_ true."

"What?"

"Everything was true. Everything that he says, everything that everyone says, it's all true," Tweek cried, speaking so fast that he didn't have time to stutter like he usually did. "I _am_ crazy, Craig. I _am._ If I wasn't, why would I be like this? Nothing has helped, I feel like I'm just getting worse and there's nothing I can do! I'm a disappointment to my parents, to my doctors, to myself. But how do I get better? How do I get better, Craig?"

Tweek's voice had risen to a shout by the time he had finished his paragraph. For a few moments, Craig could do nothing but stand there, stunned. The only shouting he had ever heard from Tweek was his old, short outbursts, or when he was worried about some kind of bizarre conspiracy. Never had Tweek asked something like this. Craig wasn't sure if he had ever actually heard Tweek say so much without stuttering.

"I… I don't know, Tweek. But you'll get there. You're not crazy, you just have problems you have to face. They're difficult ones, but you'll get through them."

"How can you be so sure?"

He didn't know. That was what made this so hard; he had no idea. He had never dealt with anything like this before, neither with himself or anyone else. Helping others with problems was something he wasn't good at in general. What could he possibly say that would make this better?

"Because… Because you have us to help you. Token, Clyde, me. We'll help get you through this."

"I-I don't know if I can..."

Craig bit his lip. He'd run out of comforting things to say. Why did he have to be so _emotionless_ almost all of the time? He found, however, that he wasn't going to be saying anything just yet. His dark eyes widened when Tweek suddenly buried his head into Craig's chest, his hands grasping the material of his jacket.

"I've never been able to do this, and I don't know if I will _ever_ be able to. Cartman's just made me see reality. But I don't want to go back, Craig, I don't… I just want to stay with you. But if I don't get better th-they'll send me away again… Why can't I just die and have all the pain go away?"

Craig could do nothing more than rest a hand on the back of Tweek's head. His heart pounded as his mind raced over Tweek's words. Had they really believed he had been sent to a boarding school? Obviously they were just kidding themselves. No one would be this scared, no one would shake this much over a boarding school, not when the ones in the area were actually friendly. Feeling the highest amount of pity he had ever felt in his life, Craig could only hold Tweek as he sobbed into Craig's chest. He hadn't noticed his friends walk up behind him until one of them spoke.

"Is he okay? What happened?" Token's voice asked. Craig turned his head to look at him and Clyde, who both appeared to be worried.

Craig could only shake his head hopelessly as he looked back down at Tweek, whose tears had yet to cease.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'd just like to quickly say that I know it seemed a bit of a jump from him thinking of how his friends could help him to this - I just know personally than words from another person making you 'realise' something can change your thoughts dramatically. Obviously with suffering from more than anxiety, Tweek's one poor, poor individual. Will they succeed in helping him?

Thank you for reading and to the person who reviewed. Any others would be appreciated. Until next time!


	5. Caring

**A/N:** I'm surprised I got this finished before my other story's chapter, but I received a couple of really nice reviews and that helped motivate me. Thanks for that!

I hope you enjoy the chapter.

* * *

 **Returned**

 **Chapter Five - Caring**

* * *

Craig, Clyde and Token silently agreed that they shouldn't leave Tweek alone that night. They were fair too worried that he would spend the night as an anxious and worrying mess, or even go as far as to harm himself. So they took it upon themselves to watch over Tweek and convince him to ask his parents if he could miss his shift for once to stay over with them at Craig's house. Of course, he would argue about it being a bad idea anyway, so when he was in this anxious state, he was even worse. What would happen to Tweak Bros. if Tweek took the night off? How angry would his parents be over him not helping out? What about his things? They were questions that could be answered easily by his friends. The café would be fine, they were sure that his parents wouldn't mind as long as he did some homework while he was there and Craig said his mother would be fine picking up a couple of things he needed on her way home from going out with her friends. Naturally, Craig could have just said that Tweek didn't really need his things and could have borrowed some nightwear from Craig if he needed to, but realised that this probably wouldn't have been enough to calm him. In the end, their suggestions were successful and just like they expected, Mr and Mrs Tweak were fine with their son staying over as long as he made sure to work the next night and that he didn't get behind on his homework.

They couldn't quite tell if Tweek was happy about this or not at first, but as the night went on, he seemed to relax a little more. Being in his friends' presence always seemed to do the trick, at least partly. Craig suspected that it was like having multiple sides, in a way. There was the panicked Tweek all alone at night troubled by his anxiety, and then there was the much more relaxed, happier Tweek when he was surrounded by those he was close to. Perhaps it wasn't a good thing, but at least there _was_ that happy side. Craig just wished that Tweek's happiness was more than simply a side to him.

 _"I've never been able to do this, and I don't know if I will_ _ _ever__ _be able to. Cartman's just made me see reality. But I don't want to go back, Craig, I don't… I just want to stay with you. But if I don't get better th-they'll send me away again… Why can't I just die and have all the pain go away?"_

Those words continuously echoed through Craig's mind that evening, making it hard to enjoy his time with his friends. The night was spent with the usual playing video games and watching movies together. There was a slight tension in the room, mainly as all four of them were thinking about Tweek's breakdown earlier that day, but none spoke up. They all wanted to say something, _anything_ to comfort their poor friend, but it was difficult to find the right words. None of them wanted to upset him or make him worse. The most they could do was simply stay with Tweek, comforting him silently with their presence.

Token and Clyde had slept in sleeping bags on the floor for years, and this was when they realised that Tweek didn't have one himself. Before the blonde had a chance to panic properly, Craig shrugged and said his bed was large enough for two people – which it definitely was. Token and Clyde both raised an eyebrow, knowing of Craig's bisexuality, but he merely flipped them off. There was no way at all that he was going to let Tweek get worried over something as simple as a sleeping bag.

In a way, he was happy that Tweek would be sleeping next to him, mainly so he could watch over him. He questioned briefly when he had become so caring, but was quick to shrug it off. He had always cared about Token and Clyde, so why would Tweek be different? Though whenever he told himself that, it only distracted him temporarily. He cared for Tweek in a different way, though he wasn't exactly sure _how_ it was different.

It took a long time for him to fall into a slumber, mainly because he was so focused on Tweek. Around an hour after they had settled down for the night, the boy's breathing had finally grown heavier, and seemed to have fallen asleep. Craig actually thought that it would take longer. Perhaps the day had left him exhausted.

Craig found himself propping his body up on one elbow slowly so he could peer down at Tweek's sleeping face. It was strange, seeing his face so peaceful. It was much easier to notice the long blonde eyelashes, the small nose, the slightly pink lips contrasted against his pale skin and the general beauty of his face while he was asleep. Not even thinking of his actions properly, Craig gently brushed a few strands of Tweek's hair away from his face. He wasn't even sure what was coming over him, and at that moment, he didn't care. He just wanted to stay close to Tweek, to protect him. There was nothing more important to him than that.

He thought his heart was going to melt when a small smile grew on Tweek's face. It had to have been one of the cutest things he had witnessed in his life. Smiling was a rare thing to see from Tweek while he was awake, so Craig found himself lucky that he had the chance to witness something so beautiful while Tweek was asleep.

"You know, watching your friend as they sleep is a little weird."

Despite the voice being quiet, Craig still jumped slightly at the unexpected voice of Token. He turned and looked down at his friend, glaring.

"Shut the fuck up, Token."

"Woah, don't get pissed off at me, I was just joking," Token laughed softly, before he yawned. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"I couldn't get to sleep. I guess I'm too distracted."

"Yeah, I guess we all are. It was hard to watch that before."

Craig nodded, glancing at Tweek again. It was hard to imagine that someone who seemed so content had been crying so hysterically.

"He'll be alright. He'll get through this."

"I hope so."

"Have faith, Craig. That's the most we can do, aside from be there with him. He'll get there, I'm sure. We just have to give him time."

Craig merely nodded his head once more. Hopefully, Token was right, because seeing Tweek in so much pain was the most devastating thing he had ever had to witness.

* * *

Craig was woken that next morning by a strange feeling on his face. Frowning, he slowly opened his eyes. The last thing he expected was to be face-to-face with his guinea-pig, Stripe, in the hands of Clyde.

"Dude, what the fuck are you doing?"

"I just thought you'd appreciate a unique alarm."

"I told him not to," Token chuckled, sitting up in his sleeping bag. "Is Tweek awake yet?"

Craig glanced at the blonde next to him, shaking his head.

"Nope, he's definitely still asleep. Clyde, put Stripe back."

Looking slightly disappointed, Clyde gently eased the rodent back into the cage, shutting the door after it. A grin quickly grew on his face, however, when he looked back at Craig.

"You two certainly looked comfortable together while you were sleeping."

"And how exactly is that?"

"Until about ten minutes ago, Tweek was resting his head on your chest. It was actually pretty cute."

"Look," Token said before Craig managed to reply, holding up his phone to show Craig a picture. "You're all cuddled up."

"We were asleep, assholes. We can't control what we do when we're asleep."

"I'm still keeping this picture though. Just for the memories."

"I don't really care. Just don't let Tweek see it; he'd probably panic."

"Speaking of Tweek panicking, doesn't he have a day shift today?" Token asked.

"Yeah, I'll wake him up," Craig said, turning around so he could give Tweek a gentle push. He was a light sleeper, so it didn't take much for him to open his eyes.

"Morning," he said sleepily, rubbing his eyes, which quickly grew wide as he shot upright. "O-Oh God, what time is it? I have work and if I'm late I'll-"

"Relax, it's only nine," Craig quickly interrupted before he panicked further.

"O-Oh," Tweek said, his body visibly relaxing a little. "I still b-better get dressed, though. I'm in work at l-lunch."

Craig decided that it would be best not to comment on the fact that his lunch shift was still three hours away and so naturally, there was no rush. Instead, he nodded his head and slid off the bed to give Tweek enough space to do so himself.

"Craig, bring your friends downstairs, I'm making pancakes," called Craig's mother from downstairs. Clyde's face broke out into a huge grin.

"God, I love your mom," he said, not hesitating to leave the room. Token followed, as did Craig, though he paused at the doorway to turn back to Tweek.

"Are you coming?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah, I'm just getting dressed," he said, grabbing a shirt from his rucksack lying on the floor. Craig nodded and made his way down the stairs to find Token and Clyde already sitting at the dining table, watching Craig's mother in what was obvious excitement. Craig wasn't surprised; she _did_ make excellent pancakes, after all.

"Oh, there you are," she said as he sat down opposite his friends. "Where's Tweek?"

"He's just getting his clothes on first."

"His clothes were off in the first place?" she asked with a wink. Craig rolled his eyes.

"You know what I meant."

He was starting to regret telling his mother about his sexuality. She seemed to find it very amusing to tease him about _both_ genders now. He just hoped that she didn't say anything in front of Tweek; God knows how much that'd make him anxious.

"I'm just teasing," she chuckled, handing a very happy Clyde a pancake, who gave her a quick (yet enthusiastic) thank you before he began eating it right away. "How was he last night? I was hoping that spending the night with you three rather than working would help him a little."

"He was better than I thought he would be," Craig replied. "I was just glad that he had a distraction from everything. I've been really worried about..."

He stopped when Tweek awkwardly walked into the kitchen, now dressed in slim jeans and a shirt, his hand grabbing the material nervously.

"Good morning, Tweek," Craig's mother smiled, breaking the silence. "Would you like a pancake, too?"

"Y-Yes please," he said, sliding into the chair next to Craig, who guessed that Tweek was just being polite by saying yes. He had never once seen Tweek have anything else other than coffee in the morning.

"You can have this next one."

"T-Thank you," Tweek said, before turning to Craig, picking at his nails. "You're… Worried about me?"

Craig was hoping that he wouldn't comment on the conversation he walked in on, but it seemed as though hope wasn't exactly good enough.

"Well… Yeah, I am a bit..."

He almost cursed out loud at how awkward that sounded. Tweek appeared as though he wasn't quite sure of what to make of that reply.

"O-Oh..." he said, looking down at his hands. "Don't be wo-worried. I'm fine."

"But you're _not_ fine," Craig responded, a sudden feel of urgency washing over him.

"Craig-"

"Your parents are being complete bastards and you deserve to be treated better than that," Craig said, holding onto Tweek's clenched hands, making the boy look up. "I know that you have problems and that you're trying to face them, but their methods are awful. What you need is support and guidance, not that fucking thing they call 'encouragement'."

"Craig, I don't think this is the right time for this," his mother said quietly. Craig managed to pull his gaze away from Tweek when she spoke those words and looked at his friends staring at them.

When _was_ the right time though? Tweek needed help, that was the most obvious thing in the world, and he wasn't getting it. At least, he wasn't getting _decent_ help. The amount of care and concern and how much he was wanted to help was overwhelming for Craig. He couldn't recall a time he had felt such intense care for someone, nor could he remember the last time he was willing to go as far as he needed to in order to help.

"I need air," he said, letting go of Tweek's hands so he could stand up and walk out of the room. It wasn't an excuse to escape the tension in the room; all of these thoughts _did_ make him need to go outside to cool down. He stood outside the front door and leant his head back against the brick wall as his eyes shuttered closed. If all of this was affecting someone like him, God knows what it must have been like for Tweek.

His eyes opened when he heard the front door open, and he wasn't surprised to see that it was Token and Clyde.

"Are you okay?" Token questioned, despite most likely knowing the answer he would receive.

"No, well, I don't know," Craig sighed, brushing a hand through his raven hair. "Jesus Christ, I'm so fucking confused about all of this."

"Why are you confused?" Clyde asked.

"Because I usually don't care for people like this. Hell, the only people I _actually_ care for are you guys, Ruby and my mom, maybe my dad if I'm pushing it. I know I've already said this, it's just... Fucking hell, I care so much that it _hurts._ That isn't normal. Not for me, anyway."

"It's not a bad thing that you care, though."

"I'm not saying that it is. It's just confusing me because I never usually feel like this over people. I'm an asshole, you both know that. And yeah, Tweek and I are friends, so naturally I'm going to care for him. But this much? I don't think I've ever felt so angry at people in my life. I just want to help."

Clyde and Token exchanged a glance before the latter spoke.

"Well, I think that you _are_ helping him. He seems to be a lot calmer around you."

"Yeah, I've noticed that," Clyde added. "He always seems scared of everyone, well, except us. But he doesn't seem quite as bad when he's with you."

"God knows why. This has probably just made me more confused."

"Hey, confusion won't stop you from helping him," Token chuckled. "So let's just forget about the confusion and focus on being there for him."

Craig nodded, before following his friends back inside. They found Craig's mother and Tweek sitting awkwardly at the dining table, who both looked up when they heard the three pairs of footsteps. Craig only hesitated for a short moment before he walked over and sat back in his seat next to Tweek, his hand reaching forward to settle on Tweek's knee before Craig could stop himself.

"I'm sorry for bringing that up," Craig started. "But I just want you to know that I truly care for you, and I'm going to do everything I can to help you. I want to stay by your side as you get better, if you'd let me."

Tweek nodded. His lips grew into a rare smile, lighting up all of his face. A smile which could bring joy to anyone, a thing which was so simply, yet surprisingly beautiful. And Craig felt proud that such an amazing smile was there because of nothing but him.

* * *

 **A/N:** One quick note; I've started writing my novel again so updates may be fairly slow, as that's three things to work on at once. But I won't abandon the story, don't worry!

Thank you for reading, and any other reviews would be lovely. Until next time!


	6. Confessions

**A/N:** I was hoping to write a longer chapter, but... Yeah. I seemed to have lost my ability to write those. I blame my novel writing! I feel like the chapters for my next fanfic will be longer though.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

 **Returned**

 **Chapter Six - Confessions**

* * *

Tweek was sat on his bed, his legs crossed as he bent over to write in a journal laid down in front of him. Or at least, that was the plan. His pen was merely tapping against the paper.

One of his old therapists had mentioned to write down his thoughts and feelings. This was actually one of the only pieces of advice that he found was helpful. Except, when it came to something positive, it was hard to write down.

Writing his feelings had been the easiest thing in the world when he was placed in the mental institution, mainly because writing down negative thoughts was so much easier than positive. He hated it there and had lots of things which triggered him, so naturally, writing in it was very easy for him. But now, sitting in his bedroom with a calmness that was usually foreign to him, it was suddenly difficult.

 _'It's been strange, lately,'_ he eventually began, pausing as though there was someone reading these words as he wrote them. _'I still have moments where I can't control my mental health, but… I still think I've been happy? I keep thinking back to what Craig said to me last week, about how he was going to be staying with me. I care for him a lot. Obviously, I care for Token and Clyde too, but… I care for Craig differently. I think I might be falling for him. It's weird knowing that. I've only ever had a crush on one other person before. But, there's just something about Craig… I don't know, maybe it's just him caring for me that is making me have these feelings. I guess it doesn't matter as long as he makes me happy, I just feel conflicted with it all. It makes me anxious, and yet, it gives me the kind of hope I've never felt before. I can't tell whether it's a good thing or a bad thing. Either way though, despite how much it can affect my anxiety, it's still brought me some kind of happiness… I'll have to thank him for that. Maybe I should tell him how I feel, but then again, maybe I shouldn't. I like how things are now. I'm so grateful for Craig, and even if we are just friends, I don't want to lose him. I'd be devastated if that ever happened.'_

He stopped writing after that last line, pondering for a moment whether or not to continue before he placed his pen down on his bedside table. With his head resting in his hands, he leaned over as he read over the words he had just written. Seeing it on paper made it seem so much more real. The thought that he had fallen for one of his childhood friends scared him, but not as much as he thought it would. They were just feelings, ones he was sure he could suppress if he had to. After all, he hadn't lied in his journal. He was grateful for Craig being there for him, and maybe he didn't need anything more than friendship. Hell, he was _lucky_ that he even had Craig's friendship in the first place; he wasn't the kind of person who would be friends with anyone and everyone. That thought made Tweek feel a little special, that even when they were younger, he was part of a small group of friends who truly liked each other. Being with them was a place he knew he could belong, and that was one of the greatest feelings in the world. After all, how does someone live happily if they don't belong anywhere?

"Tweek, dinner's ready," his mother called from downstairs. Letting out a sigh, he closed his journal shut, slid off the bed and began to make his way down to the dining room. He always hated mealtimes. It was the chance for his parents to ask question after question about how he is feeling, despite them knowing that continuous questions made him feel uncomfortable.

A plate with a large serving of lasagne was placed in front of him. That was another thing he disliked about meals with his parents; the way he was given much bigger portions than his nausea could take. They said that it was because he was 'too skinny', but why did they say that? As far as he knew, he was a perfect weight.

The first few minutes were spent with Tweek eating silently as his parents spoke between themselves, though he knew that it wouldn't last long, and he was right. Soon enough, the conversation's topic changed to him.

"How's school at the moment, Tweek?" his father asked.

"It's o-okay."

"You're still hanging around with your old friends, aren't you?"

Tweek nodded, "Y-Yeah. I'm still friends with them."

"Maybe you should branch out more and make some new friends? Three really isn't that many."

That didn't take very long at all.

"Well, I get along with other people, l-like Kyle and St-Stan. But I like being with Craig, Clyde and Token."

"I just thought it'd help boost your confidence if you had _more_ friends you saw outside of school. You know, like going to a party with your classmates."

"I h-hate parties."

"You're a teenager, Tweek. All teenagers love parties, don't they?"

Tweek stayed silent. Parties were much too loud for him, with too many people and things going on at once. Though he knew that other people didn't really like parties either. Kyle, for example, was someone he had overheard talking about how parties weren't really his thing.

"Even if you don't go to a party, Tweek, talking to other people might still be a good idea," his mother added. "Maybe you could even talk to girls. You've never had a girlfriend, Tweek. Don't you want one?"

He would have laughed if that question didn't make him so angry.

"I've talked about that with you before," he said quietly.

"Yes, but we thought that might have been… A phase, maybe. You were young, Tweek. You can't really decide how you feel that young, at least not for certain."

"Well, it's been three years, and I'm still gay. W-What more do you want from me?"

"I don't want anything from you! I just thought you might have realised that-"

"Realised what? That I'm actually the straight, sane child you always wanted? So-Sorry to disappoint you, but not everyone fits into your idea of perfection!"

"Tweek, you _are_ sane, you just have a few issues that-"

"If I am sane, then why does everyone, including _you,_ act as if I'm not?" Tweek said, his voice quickly rising to a scream. "If I'm sane, why would you send me off to a mental asylum three hours away and not tell anyone? Why would you always look at me weirdly when I have an anxiety attack or when I get paranoid about something stupid? If I'm sane, then why does everybody treat me like I'm a freak? After all that, tell me how I'm not insane!"

"Tweek, calm down!"

"I don't understand," Tweek said in a much quieter voice. "You say that I'm sane, yet you treat me like I'm not. They all called me crazy there, yet others say I'm normal. W-What am I then? Who am I?"

A silence fell on the room, tension filling it as the minutes ticked away. It was his mother's voice, slow with an attempt to sound gentle, that broke it.

"You're our son. That's who you are. And no matter what you believe, Tweek, we love you. I just can't believe that you can't see that."

"Well, stop with these insults at my life, and then m-maybe I will be able to see it for myself."

When the next bite of his food left him feeling like he was going to be sick, he placed his knife and fork down before getting up from the table.

"Where are you going?" his father frowned.

"I-I feel sick. I need a walk."

Ignoring the words from his parents, he walked out of the room, grabbed his coat off a hanger near the door, and stepped outside, crisp air blasting him in the face.

 _'Just as I thought I was having a good day mentally, that happens,'_ he thought to himself, the sigh escaping his lips breathing out hot air into the contrasting cold.

* * *

Craig was pretending to listen to Ruby's ramblings about a boy in her class when he saw that he had a text message. Still nodding in response, he unlocked his phone and read the words sent to him. He found his lips curling into a smile when he saw it was from Tweek, though that quickly disappeared when he actually went over the message.

 _'Sorry for bothering you again. I'm just out for a walk and was wondering if you wanted to join me. Could do with the company.'_

That text seemed strangely calm for Tweek. Craig couldn't help but wonder if he was a lot less calm in real life.

"Craig, are you listening?"

"Huh? Oh… Uh, yeah. Sorry Ruby, I've got to go."

"Go? Go where?"

"Just to go for a walk with Tweek."

"A walk with Tweek," she echoed, raising an eyebrow at him. "Hm, okay."

"Why did you say it like that?"

"I feel like there's something going on between you both."

"There's nothing going on between us. Firstly, he's straight… I think. Secondly, we're just friends, Ruby. I'm giving him a hand and helping him get back to his feet because he's having a hard time right now. So don't presume things like that."

"I'm sorry, I was just teasing. I'll see you later."

Craig nodded before he sent a reply to Tweek and headed downstairs. After calling to his parents that he was going out for half an hour, he grabbed his coat and headed outside. It was only seven, but due to the cloudy weather, it was fairly dark. Craig wondered if the darkness which was slowly increasing was making Tweek start to panic or not.

When he met up with Tweek several minutes later he saw that Tweek did seem a little anxious, but more sad than anything. Or at least, he was feeling negative. It was hard to judge exactly how he was feeling.

"Hey," he greeted when he saw Craig, managing to give him a smile.

"Hey, is everything okay?"

Tweek shrugged, "I just wanted some company, th-that's all, really."

Craig couldn't help but notice that his question was answered a little indirectly, but he didn't question it and instead began to take a slow walk down the path alongside Tweek. It was silent for several minutes as they simply walked aimlessly, going nowhere in particular. When the awkwardness became unbearable, Craig knew he had to say something.

"Do, uh, your parents know where you are?"

"Y-Yeah. Well, not exactly. I just said I needed a walk as I felt sick. It's helped, really."

"Tweek, please tell me the truth. Did anything happen?"

Tweek paused, running his hands through his blonde hair before he spoke, "K-Kind of. I ended up shouting a couple of things at them."

Craig frowned; Tweek wasn't exactly the argumentative type. If he argued with his parents, there had to be a reason. He wouldn't have just shouted at them for nothing.

"What made you do that?"

Another pause. "Th-They were pressuring me a bit about getting a girlfriend and such. I just got annoyed because they still think I'm in a ph-phase."

 _'A phase?'_ Craig thought to himself. _'What does he mean by that?'_

"Then I was questioning w-what is the truth. So many people call me crazy, but then other's say I'm not, I just have some problems. B-But if that's the case why does everyone look at me so strangely? Why w-would my parents send me there? I-It doesn't make any sense. I'm so confused."

"Send you there?" Craig frowned, fearing that his suspicions were true. "Do you mean..."

"Y-Yep. I was at a mental institution for two years, C-Craig. They didn't want anyone to know."

"God, Tweek, I'm so sorry."

"N-No need to apologise. It's just… Th-They were awful to me there, too. The other teenagers, I mean. Even th-they called me crazy and bullied me. It made me feel l-like I didn't belong anywhere. They pr-provoked me, made me get into fights with them and put the blame on me, acting as though I was violent. Th-Those are the times when the doctors put me in the p-padded room. It was to protect the others, they s-said. I h-hated it, I hated it so much. I f-felt like I was trapped, that I had nowhere to go, and that was the truth, really. I-It drove me mad in there, I couldn't take it. I-I'd have panic attacks which made me p-pass out. Whenever I s-screamed to be let out, it just convinced them e-even more that I'm insane."

Craig was stunned. Sure, he had suspected that perhaps it had been an institution that he was sent to, but he never realised he'd be treated like that, especially by others also going through a hard time in their lives. He didn't know what to do or what to say that could possibly be comforting. For a few moments, all he could do was place his arm around Tweek's thin shoulders. Luckily, it seemed like this gesture did provide comfort on its own, for Tweek shuffled closer to Craig, his head resting on the taller boy's shoulders. Somehow, this managed to help the words come to Craig naturally.

"Obviously, I can't possibly understand how this must feel for you. I can see why you're confused and why you're upset. But in my eyes, you're a great person. Sure, you have flaws, but don't we all? No one is flawless, and you're actually one of the closest people to being that. You'll get there, maybe not next week, but in time. I'm sorry you went through all of that. You of all people don't deserve to be treated that awfully. You're back here now though, with me, and I'm going to make life better for you, okay?"

Tweek nodded, a small smile returning to his face. "Thank you Craig, for all of that. I-I'm really grateful. I still… I still feel like s-something bad is going to happen though. Ma-Maybe it's just my paranoia. But even with that, I still f-feel like you're going to help me."

"I'm determined to do just that," Craig said, his voice managing to sound gentle, yet firm. Curiosity was getting the better of him, however, and his next words slipped out before he had the chance to stop them. "But what did you mean by 'still being in a phase'?"

There was a long pause, Tweek clearly not knowing what to say. "I-I, uh, I'm..."

"Yeah?"

"I'm… Um, I-I'm gay, Craig. A-And my parents thought it was a phase, but… Yeah. H-Here I am, three years later and still gay."

"Ah, that makes sense."

"You sound v-very casual about this. You don't find it weird? I-I mean, we shared a _bed..."_

"Nah, you're still the same person to me. I'm bi myself anyway, so why would I care?"

"Y-You're bi? I never knew that..."

For some reason, that news seemed to make Tweek's voice sound a little happier after the emotional subject he had previously been talking about. Craig's lips grew into a grin.

"Yeah. Well, it's good that you're gay, anyway."

"W-Why?"

"Because now you're more likely to say yes to me asking if you want to grab a coffee with me sometime."

A faint blush crept its way onto Tweek's cheeks as he nodded his head.

"I'd love to."

* * *

 **A/N:** I wasn't planning on having it end on such a cute note, but... Well, I think I am soon going to be slowly building up emotion which will lead to the end. So, I shall throw a load of fluffy Creek feels in your face for now.

As always, thanks for reading, and any reviews would be appreciated! I always love hearing what people have to say.


	7. Tension

**A/N:** Sorry if this took a while, I've been writing my novel recently! I've got a bit more to say but I'll save that for the end so you can get on with the chapter. I personally don't believe it's the best, but hopefully you enjoy it anyway!

* * *

 **Returned**

 **Chapter Seven - Tension**

* * *

Craig thought it wouldn't take long for his friends to question the constant glances between himself and Tweek through lunch. Once they had settled down with their work in Calculus, Token turned to him, grinning.

"All right, you're going to tell me what is going on between you and Tweek."

Craig leant back in his chair, shrugging. "I don't know what you mean."

"Yes you do. You told us you were only friends, but the glances between you both don't seem to be saying that. What's going on?"

"We _are_ friends."

"Then why did you keep smirking at him like you did?"

"Friends can go on dates before they're together, you know."

Token's mouth opened, no words coming out for a moment. It was obvious that he was surprised.

"A _date?_ You and Tweek are going on a _date?_ "

"Dude, we're just grabbing a coffee together and shit. Don't make it sound like I'm planning to propose or something."

"I'm just… Well, shocked! I didn't even know Tweek wasn't straight. How did he even say yes without being a spluttering mess? Or _was_ he like that?"

"He actually didn't stutter when he agreed. I think he was too happy for that."

"Well, I'm happy for you both," Token smiled, though it faltered. "But what if this _does_ lead to something more?"

"It's just a date, Token. But why would it matter if it did?"

"I'm just thinking that a relationship might be bad for his anxiety or something. I mean, what about his parents not accepting it or something? Or you both getting funny looks from people in the street? He probably couldn't keep it as a secret either, that'd make him even more anxious."

"Chill, it's fine. A relationship might not even come out of this, but if it does, I'll think about that then."

"All right, if you say so. I'm just making sure you don't make him worse accidentally."

"I won't do that. I'm planning on helping, not making anything worse."

"I believe you, Craig. Just please be careful, okay? He's sensitive. You're not the only one looking out for him, either. Remember that we are too, so naturally I'm going to worry."

"I know, I get that. I'll be careful."

"Thanks, Craig," Token said, his smile appearing once again on his face. "I really do hope this goes well for you."

"Yeah… I think I do, too."

The knowledge that those words were actually true no longer surprised Craig. Tweek, on the other hand, worried much more.

Of course, he was excited. How could he not be? Only once in his life had he felt like this for someone, yet he was lucky enough that this time, where his feelings seemed more true, were returned, or at least, apparently so. But what if they weren't? What if Craig was just doing this to help cheer Tweek up? It wouldn't be very surprising at all if that was the case. Tweek was hardly able to believe that someone could have feelings for _him._ The thought was preposterous.

The reason why Tweek doubted this as much as he did was for two reasons; the first naturally being his anxiety, the second was because of the first person he had feelings for. He would have never guessed that the first person he would be attracted to would be while he was inside a mental institution. But the reasons for these feelings were very understandable. This person was the only one who had been friendly to Tweek to start with. In the first couple of months, they were friends. But then when the teasing from the others grew more serious, that friendship was strained. Eventually, much to Tweek's dismay, he lost his only friend due to them choosing popularity over him. It baffled Tweek, how somewhere which is meant to help people brought him so much sadness and had others treating him like they would if they were a gang of bullies at school. They practically were, in a way. They did school work in those years. Tweek always knew that if it weren't for the others, he would have not disliked it so much. It was the accusations and the fights he was forced into that changed the doctors view of him. Tweek thought that the thing that hurt the most was how the person he liked had joined those who were cruel to him. Words stung so much more when they were from a person who was once your friend.

Because of this, Tweek was scared. Of course, Craig wasn't like this. But he was still scared of being hurt, or something going wrong. He _did_ have that feeling inside him, the kind that was nagging at him constantly, that _something_ was going to go wrong. However, despite this, Tweek said to himself silently that he was still going to go. Though their ways were extreme, he knew his parents were right about one thing; he had to push through his fears to get better. This seemed to be the first moment that he was truly willing to pull through.

* * *

Craig gave Tweek one of his rare – yet strangely handsome – smiles when he saw the other teenager walking over to him at the front of the school. He could already tell that Tweek was nervous, even from afar. Naturally, Craig wasn't. He rarely had nerves and it was only a coffee. But he didn't judge Tweek; something which could seem like a very small deal to Craig could be a lot bigger to someone like Tweek.

"Hey," Craig greeted the blonde when he was closer.

"H-Hey," Tweek replied. The nerves were even more obvious in his voice than his body language.

"Shall we go?"

He received a nod in reply, and so, they started walking. It was silent for most of the journey. Craig was used to silences, but this one was particularly awkward. The cuteness of Tweek's blushing when they made eye contact was worth it though.

"I-I'm sorry I'm so nervous," Tweek said, surprising Craig as he hadn't expected the other male to be the one who would break the silence. "I've just n-never been on a date before."

"Don't worry about it. It's not like it's a huge date or anything, anyway. You can just think of it as us hanging out if you're uncomfortable."

Tweek quickly shook his head, "No, I'm not uncomfortable. J-Just nervous."

Craig nodded in understanding, glad that even though Tweek was still feeling that way, he wasn't actually uncomfortable. That was a start.

For obvious reasons, they didn't go to Tweak Bros. Instead, they opted for their local Starbucks, which was recently built and were quickly making Tweek's parents' business struggle. It was naturally a worry, but at least they could rely on their local customers. Unfortunately, this wasn't quite enough for Tweek's hospital and therapy bills, so he was simply not seeing a therapist at this current moment in time. He wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

"I'm surprised that you didn't order a coffee," Craig mentioned after they ordered their drinks and settled down by one of the tables.

"I-I was told to cut down on my coffee by my doctors," Tweek said, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. "It was giving me too much energy a-and then leaving me feeling exhausted."

"Ah, I see."

"I d-don't mind too much, though. I just have hot chocolate instead m-most of the time. I have quite a bit of a sweet tooth."

"Oh, well that's good to know, because I got you a little something."

"Huh? Y-You did?"

Craig nodded and pulled out a box of chocolates from his bag. It was a basic brand, but it felt like the most luxurious chocolates in the world to him. He wasn't exactly a person who regularly received presents.

"They're nothing special or anything, I thought that would be too forward. But I thought it would be nice to get you something anyway, with you saying yes and all."

"You didn't have to do that. B-But thank you."

Craig, as he often did with gratitude, shrugged. "Don't mention it."

Popping one of the chocolates into his mouth, Tweek smiled, "Th-These are delicious."

"Oh, really? That's good, I'm not usually good at choosing the right gifts. I'm not really good at dates in general, actually."

"W-Well, I've never even been on a date, so you're still b-beating me," Tweek chuckled. "I'm g-guessing that you've been on dates before, then?"

"Yeah, mainly with girls who kept begging me to go out with them. I've never asked anyone on a date before you. I just thought I would never get feelings for someone. Clearly, that's changed though."

"So y-you have feelings for me?" Tweek asked, his voice speaking quickly before he felt himself becoming too nervous to ask.

"I think so, I don't really know," Craig sighed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I mean, obviously I care about you. I wasn't lying about that. But the thought of actually having feelings… Well, I'm still unsure about that."

"I-I understand."

"It's not you or anything, believe me. I'm always unsure if I like someone romantically. It's just me."

He tried to place his hand on top of Tweek's, who quickly pulled his own hand back. For a moment, Craig thought it was because of what he said, but Tweek stated otherwise.

"I-I know where you're coming f-from. But… P-Please don't touch me like that… I-I'm scared of what people might say."

If Tweek was anyone else, Craig would be slightly annoyed. Who would care if someone saw? Definitely not him, probably not many other people. Others aren't going to become accustomed to something which is hidden most of the time. Screw them anyway; who cares what they think? This is what Craig would have said, at least, if he wasn't with Tweek. But his worrying was more understandable and Craig understood that Tweek, especially with his mental health, wouldn't exactly have the same mindset as Craig's.

"All right, I'm sorry," were the words Craig spoke instead, his hand immediately lifting off Tweek's, who visibly relaxed as he did so.

"N-No, I'm sorry."

"No need to apologise," Craig said. "I understand."

He didn't mind anyway, he wasn't sure why he had put his hand on Tweek's in the first place. Was it because he wanted to know if he'd feel anything romantic towards Tweek that way? He was so unsure about his feelings that he wanted to reach out, see if he could understand himself more through physical contact. If anything, it only left him more confused.

 _'This sucks,'_ Craig thought to himself, holding in a groan. _'I invited him on this date because I thought that I could have feelings for him, but I don't even know if I do. From the way he reacted to me asking him, I can tell that he likes me, but do I feel the same way?'_

"A-Are you okay?" Tweek asked, snapping Craig out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine," was the reply as Craig sat up straighter. "I was just distracted."

"A-Ah," Tweek responded simply. He fidgeted with the cup of hot chocolate in his hands, clearly contemplating his words. "...C-Can I, uh, ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"What exactly d-do you think of me?"

Craig paused. "I think that you're amazing."

"R-Really?" Tweek sounded like those words were unbelievable.

"Really. I mean, you're probably one of the nicest people I've met, for one thing. And I find it incredible how even after everything you've been through, you're still looking out for people and trying to get better. That takes a lot of strength, you know."

"I g-guess it does..." Tweek said thoughtfully. "Th-Thank you. I still want to go back to therapy though. I-I feel mostly fine with you, but on my own, it's ho-horrible. That's one of the reasons why they sent me, s-so I could deal with that. I n-need to control how I feel alone, o-otherwise..."

"They'd send you back?" Craig finished. Tweek nodded.

"Y-Yeah. I can understand why, though. They're worried that I-I'd hurt myself or something. I wish they'd understand how much I hate it there, though. Th-That's why I need to get back to therapy."

"So why don't you?"

"W-We can't really afford it," Tweek said, looking down at his cup. "It's really expensive around here, b-because we don't have many places to go. It was actually cheaper to go to… Y-You know. My p-parents are struggling so I had to stop going."

"Well, Token and I could-"

"They wouldn't a-accept it," Tweek interrupted. "I know you're t-trying to help, and thank you for that, but they wouldn't be happy with help. Th-That's why I'm unsure of what to do; to go back so that they're happy, or to pretend like I'm okay."

"Never pretend that you're okay when you're not," said Craig. "It's important that people know how you're feeling."

"That's true, but I don't really have much of a ch-choice."

There was silence after that, neither sure of what to say. What started out as something to look forward to had led to tension and uncertainty.

 _'Damn, I really suck,'_ Craig thought to himself. He couldn't even guide conversations away from sensitive issues like mental institutions. _'I can see why I never go on dates.'_

After a brief few moments of small talk, Craig paid for their drinks. At least that was something he could actually do.

It wasn't a surprise when Tweek shook his head about going anywhere else, but tried to convince Craig that it wasn't because of him.

"After that got brought up, I k-kinda need to think," he explained. "I'm trying to think of the best thing to do."

"I'm sorry that it got brought up."

"It's my fault, don't worry. I-I better go."

Craig nodded, "All right." He pulled Tweek into his arms first, which luckily seemed to make the blonde's body relax a little. "Good luck. I'm here if you need me."

"I know," Tweek responded, shakily smiling when they parted. "And I'm going to n-need that luck."

* * *

 **A/N:** *peeks out from behind curtains after disliking the end* is it over?

Ahem, anyway, I just wanted to say that I am starting college soon! I had to take a year out because of my medical issues and complications but I'm trying it again. This naturally means that I'd have less time for writing, especially with my numerous hobbies, my novel and also the fact I'm learning Japanese. So I'll be updating gradually, and though I was hoping to make the next few chapters longer, I'll probably have to stick to this length. I'll see, though! But I will definitely not be updating quickly, though I shall try my best.

Anyway, one great way to get my motivation up is to review, so maybe consider reviewing? *awkward wink*

Thanks to anyone who does, and also, thanks for reading!


	8. A Tough Decision

**A/N:** I actually only had about 400 words of this written a few days ago, but over the last couple of days I've had a large burst of motivation for writing. Which is great; I'm going to make the most of it before I get more college work to do!

 **Quick note:** If you are reading this purely for romance, I'm afraid you will be disappointed. In case you couldn't tell from the previous chapter, I'm not making romance a main theme to this story. It was my original idea but I decided to make this much more of a realistic story, highlighting issues that people face - including a lack of romantic attraction, like Craig is clearly facing. I'm sorry if this is an issue for anyone, but considering this story will end soon, it's a bit late to change my plans.

Anyway, thank you for reading that note. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Returned**

 **Chapter Eight - A Tough Decision**

* * *

The only sound in Tweek's bedroom that night was his soft breaths and the scratching of pen on paper. He knew exactly how he felt and was beginning to see no reason to write it down, but something made him continue it. Perhaps it was the nagging voice of one of his old therapists.

 _So I had a date with Craig today. I was hoping it would go well, but… Yeah. All those stories about how relationships develop on their own don't exactly work for everyone. Craig said himself he doesn't know how he feels about me. I don't blame him for that, and that's not in a way that I'm feeling sorry for myself. We can't control how our heart feels. I can't control that I have feelings for him and he can't make himself feel the same way about me. Obviously that hurts, but I don't think I could even cope in a relationship. Some things just aren't supposed to happen no matter how much you want them to. I'm starting to learn that now._

 _I also seem to be seeing more of reality, yet I still have images of impossible things happening. It's a strange combination and it's definitely not a good one. I still feel anxious over everything. My future, my health, our money… I just can't live a life of being calm and happy. My happiness is only brief, only lingering when I'm distracted. I want to go to therapy but we're struggling too much for that. It's scary, that I'm expected to sort out my health to go to work so I can earn money, yet I need money to sort out my health. Why is everything so complicated?_

 _I sound like a depressed teenager now overthinking about the flaws in life. But I guess that's really what I am._

His writing stopped. His eyes read over the words he had just written. One single tear fell onto the paper, smudging some of the drying ink. How was this helping? It was just a reminder that his mind was screwed up and he couldn't even afford the help he needs.

Barely thinking about his actions, he threw the book across the room, wincing when it hit the wall and made a rather audible noise. He hoped that it didn't disrupt his parents' slumber but at the same time he didn't care. He just felt _angry._ Angry that he had fallen for someone who didn't like him back, angry that he wasn't receiving, angry at not being normal… He was just angry at everything. Perhaps he had just felt sadness for so long that there was no room for anymore and it had no choice but be replaced by anger.

He turned off his lamp and fell back against his pillow, his eyes staring at the ceiling in the darkness. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

The following day, Mrs Tweak was placing a pile of freshly washed and ironed clothing onto Tweek's bed when her eyes flickered over at the journal lying on the floor. She walked over to pick it up, seeing that it had landed on its pages, exactly on the most recently written page. Her eyes betrayed her as they read the letters written in surprisingly neat handwriting. She breathed in sharply. Sometimes it was hard for her to tell how her son was feeling, with how much he could close himself off from her. Hugging the journal against her chest, she headed back down the stairs towards the dining room, where her husband was sitting down with a mug of coffee as he read a newspaper. He looked up when she entered, frowning when he saw her expression.

"What's wrong, darling?" he asked.

"Tweek's journal was on the floor, and…" she hesitated, biting her lip. "He's crying out for help, honey. He seems awfully depressed."

"I thought the therapist who told him to write that journal also said that only he should be the one to read it?"

A pang of guilt went through her. "Yes, I know that. But the book was on the floor on these pages, and… I just couldn't stop myself."

Her husband sighed, brushing back his hair off his forehead. He gestured to the journal.

"Well, if you've already read it, I might as well too."

She nodded, handing him the journal. He shifted his glasses back into their correct position so he was able to read his son's words properly. After he had read the page – and also the page beforehand – he looked just as stricken as his wife.

"See? He's struggling. But we can't afford therapy for him, not since our business started going down," she said. "So what do we do for him?"

"Maybe him returning to the hospital is the best option. It was much more affordable than the prices our town charges."

"But it caused him so much grief last time. I don't want us to be the parents he would hate us to be, Richard. I just want him to be happy."

"He needs to get better to be happy."

"We can't force him to do things anymore, though," she said, tears starting to sting her eyes. "We already caused him pain when we tried to help him get better. I don't want to do that again."

"We won't be forcing him to do anything," he sighed, getting out of his chair to put a reassuring arm around his wife's shoulders. "I won't make him go back if he doesn't want to. We'll talk to him when he gets home and see what he thinks is the best option. If he doesn't want to go, we'll think of something else."

She nodded, resting her head on her husband's shoulders. "I just want him to be happy."

"As do I," he responded, closing his eyes as he ran his hand through her hair, silently praying to any god out there that their wishes would be answered and that they would finally be able to do the right thing for their only child.

* * *

The last period of the day was an art lesson; one of the few classes that Craig and Tweek shared. Since the previous day, there was a slight awkwardness between them. It wasn't exactly a tension as they both understood one another, but it definitely wasn't the most comfortable of situations. Luckily, art was subject that they both thoroughly enjoyed, so at least that provided a distraction to how awkward they felt.

Both were feeling somewhat upset, a rare emotion for someone like Craig, though it was mainly guilt that was overtaking everything else he felt. He wished that it was just like a typical love story. Feelings are confessed and returned, and that's it. Love develops from a happy and healthy relationship. It's in every book, every show, just _everywhere_. He hated how that wasn't the case. If he could make himself fall for Tweek he would have already done so. That would have made all of this ten times easier for both of them.

Unfortunately, life clearly wasn't a story and didn't make it easy.

He had briefly thought about asking Tweek if he wanted to go on another date, but what was the point if Craig didn't feel the same way as Tweek? Of course, if feelings _did_ develop, Craig would be more than happy to suggest a second date. He just didn't want to get Tweek's hopes up over nothing.

They were silent through the whole of the lesson, though they did say goodbye, even if that, like the lesson itself, was slightly awkward. They parted ways as they began to make their way home.

Craig wasn't the only one who was glad that it was over; Tweek was the same. It was hard to concentrate when the person he just wanted to be held by and to kiss was clearly uncomfortable, his thoughts of Tweek completely different. He told himself not to allow it to make him too upset, however; these things happen and it had to move on from that. Unfortunately, words were easier than actions, but he knew it was what he had to do.

His parents seemed distraught when he entered his house, which made the frown on his face be there for an entirely different reason than previously.

"Mom, dad? I-Is everything all right?" he asked. There was a slight pause before any words were spoken, though it was his father who ended the silence.

"Can we please talk to you?"

Tweek nodded, sitting down on the lounge's sofa next to them. "W-What is it?"

"When I went to put some of your clothes on your bed for you, I saw your journal lying on the floor…"

"Y-You didn't read it, did you?" he panicked, staring at her with wide eyes. The hesitation said it all. "Th-That's supposed to be private! No one should read that except m-me!"

"I know honey, I'm sorry for that," she said. "I didn't mean to. But in a way, I'm glad that I did, Tweek. You never open up to us about how you're feeling and I wouldn't have understood just how much pain you're in if I hadn't read it."

"We want to help you, Tweek," his father said. "Though you may think we're against you sometimes, we love you. We just want to help you and do what's best for you."

"I-I know that now. I just… I don't know what to d-do."

"We want you to go back to therapy, Tweek, we really do," Tweek's mother said, a hint of desperation evident in her voice. "But we just can't afford it. The prices this town charges are incredible, and we just can't afford you to travel constantly to the nearest town."

"I know. I-I was thinking that maybe I'd…"

His words drifted off. He knew that the best way for him to get help would be to go back to the institution. The doctors themselves were well-trained and he was sure they could provide help; it was only the other teenagers living there which caused him problems. The place charged as little as possible for their work, much cheaper than the overpriced help from South Park and the cost of travelling weekly to another town or city to get therapy there. Never had he despised living in a town in the middle of nowhere, but now he found himself hating every ounce of it.

However, even though he was fully aware of what the most sensible option was, he couldn't bring himself to say it aloud. Thinking it to himself was one thing; confirming it by talking to others was entirely different.

"If you go back, you mean?" his father questioned. A slow nod was initially the only reply. "We talked about that while you were at school, but…"

"We didn't want to push you into doing anything you are uncomfortable with," his mother finished for her husband. "We've done too much of that since you returned home. Actually, we've done that too much your whole life. All we've ever wanted was what is best for you, but we never realised just how much we were hurting you in the process. So we won't make you do anything you don't want to anymore; you're old enough to make your own decisions. We're only here now to support and guide you."

Tweek nodded again, biting his lip. "I-I don't really know _what_ I want to do."

"Take as much time as you need thinking over it," his father said, trying to smile reassuringly. "We don't mind if you need a while."

"Thank you," Tweek responded. Managing to give his parents a small smile, he exited the room and made his way up the stairs. After dropping his rucksack down onto the floor, he fell down onto the bed, a large sigh escaping his lips. Sometimes he wished he was a child again. Life had never been easy, but at least he didn't have to make life-changing decisions back then.

His fingers trailed into his pocket and grabbed onto his phone. He sat up before he unlocked it, his finger hovering over the call button next to Craig's contact. After the awkwardness that was last period, he wasn't sure if Craig would be in the right mood to give him advice. But considering he didn't feel quite as close to Token and Clyde as he did Craig, he didn't know who else he could talk to about something so serious.

Before he could change his mind, his finger touched the screen. Gulping, he raised the phone to his ear, silently praying that Craig would pick up. He had to hold in a sigh of relief when he heard the familiar voice of his friend.

" _Hey."_

"H-Hey," Tweek greeted. "Um…"

" _Is everything okay?"_

He almost laughed. Had he really sought help so many times that it was what Craig automatically though Tweek needed when he called? Saying that, it almost always was.

"W-Well, no. I'm sorry, I don't mean to bother you, it's just…"

" _It's fine, you're not bothering me. Can I help with anything?"_

"I just need your advice on something. D-Do you remember what we talked about yesterday?"

" _Of course I do."_

"W-Well, my parents and I are thinking that the best way for the three of us is for me to go back. And… yeah. I wanted your opinion. So-Sorry if that's a lot to ask."

There was a pause. _"Go back to the hospital?"_

"Y-Yeah."

" _Wow, uh… I didn't realise it was something you were seriously considering. Do you mean go back soon?"_

"As soon as possible, r-really. I know it's the most sensible option, I-I just wanted your opinion."

" _I'd say do whatever will help you the most in the long run. But didn't you hate it there?"_

"I did, but… W-Well, my options are pretty limited." He ran his spare hand through his hair. Craig's voice, like always, was helping to calm him, but he was still starting to regret making this phone call. "I really shouldn't have called, I-I'm sorry."

" _Don't apologise, if you want advice, then advice you'll get. If you feel like this would help you, then I'd say you should go back. But make sure that you're certain it will, first. You said yourself that the two years you spent there only helped you a bit, with how the others there were. I don't want you to waste your life somewhere which just makes you worse. Basically, go if you think it'd help you, but stay if you think it won't."_

Even though Craig couldn't see him, Tweek nodded and smiled regardless. "I think it will. I-It's time to face my problems rather than run away from them."

" _I'm proud of you for that, Tweek. But can you promise me one thing?"_

"What is it?"

" _Don't just vanish like you did last time. I want to say goodbye – as will Token and Clyde. That way, we know that you'll be coming back one day."_

"O-Of course I will," Tweek promised, his hand gripping onto the phone tighter. "Thank you for your help."

" _It's not a problem. Tell me when you know you're going. It'd be nice to spend time together before you go."_

"It will be. I-I better go and let my parents know. Thank you again."

" _You're welcome. See you."_

"B-Bye."

He ended the call, breathing in deeply. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders now that he had made his decision – he just had to hope it would be the right one.

Burying the phone back inside his pocket, he made his way back down to his parents, who looked up as he entered the lounge.

"I'm going to go back," he said, surprising himself at how the usual stuttering of his voice was replaced with feigned confidence. No words were spoken as his parents rose off the sofa and wrapped him into their arms. His hands grasped at the clothing on their backs as his eyes closed. He had missed the warmth of their embrace – it was too bad that he was separating himself from that again.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm afraid that this story will probably only have two more chapters. I don't want it to stretch on too long and after starting college, I don't really have time for two fanfics at once - at least, two fanfics being updated more than once a month. So I want to end this one, focus on my other one and then when that is done, I'll be writing another SP story featuring my favourite pairing, Damien and Pip! It's probably one of my best ideas and I'm so excited to start it when I can.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and any reviews would be appreciated as they really do help to boost my motivation to write.


	9. Drastic Measures

**A/N:** I don't think it's ever actually taken me this long to update a fanfic... Apologies for that. I've barely had time for any of my hobbies aside from animating! Somehow, I have to fit in college work, art, writing, relaxing for my health AND socialising in my spare time! There's seriously not enough hours in the day. Ah well, at least one of the reasons why I was busy was because I went to my first convention! *happy sounds*

Anyway, here it is (finally), and is the second to last one because I really need to finish this as soon as possible... Well, I was planning to end it after this chapter's events, so you know! Hopefully you enjoy it.

* * *

 **Returned**

 **Chapter Nine - Drastic Measures**

* * *

Merely a couple of weeks later, Tweek Tweak was once again out of South Park. Somehow, being able to say goodbye this second time made some things sadder, though at least there was less confusion and worry. It was a lesser of two evils.

Just like they had done many times since Tweek had returned, the four friends had one of their usual sleepovers, this time at Token's house; the place where they had the most memories. Like always, there was laughter and teasing as they played their favourite games. But it wasn't the same. The whole time, none of them could push away the knowledge that this would be the last time, at least for a while, that they would spend time together. After this last night, Craig, Clyde and Token would once again be alone, a thing that they had gotten used to over those two years. But despite them once being accustomed to being a trio again, this time it would be harder for in just the short time of Tweek being home again, they had somehow gotten closer than ever before as though they had been making up for lost time. It was hard to let go.

The one thing that made it easier to deal with, however, was how it was Tweek's decision rather than his parents. He wasn't being forced to return to the place he had despised, he made that choice by himself out of maturity and the knowledge that he needed the help which he couldn't receive from his hometown. Even if he was upset about doing so, he knew he was making the right decision, and that's what helped to keep all of them strong.

This is what Tweek reminded them with when his friends hugged him before he left. His saddened parents watched them as they stood by the car, the negative emotion increasing as each of Tweek's friends hugged him. Craig was the most upset, but he tried not to let it show. For once, he couldn't conceal his emotions, and there were obvious tears in his eyes. He didn't allow them to fall until he was alone later that day.

His parents thanked the three friends before they left, expressing the gratitude they had for the people who made Tweek felt like he belonged. Though they were positive words, it still made the situation even more upsetting, but they received forced smiles in reply. They watched as the car drove into the distance, once again taking their friend away from their lives.

The hardest thing was the uncertainty of when they would see him again.

* * *

Settling back into life seemed far too easy. However, even though it lacked difficulty, it still felt like an ever-lasting ache would be left in the hearts of Craig, Token and Clyde. At least, the ache appeared as though it would be continuous until the day they saw their friend again.

Everyone seemed to have worked out fairly quickly where Tweek went. For several weeks, however, no one said a word. That was until in one art class, when none other than Cartman came across an abandoned piece of Tweek's work.

"Oh, this belonged to Tweekers," he said as he read the name written on the back. "You haven't said anything about him, Craig. Did he get sent back to the nuthouse, then?"

"Shut the fuck up," hissed Craig. There was no Clyde or Token to hold him back, nor was there Kyle, Stan and Kenny to sort their 'friend' out. The only people watching them was a few of their class - not even including their teacher, who had left the room briefly.

"Avoiding the subject, are you? Come on, it's obvious! The little guy was too crazy to stick around for long, we all know it. He's right back where he belongs; good luck to him getting out, eh?"

It barely took any time at all after Cartman finished speaking for Craig to grab onto his collar and push him into the wall behind him, his hand knocking over a few pots of paint as Craig did so.

"I said shut up, you fat piece of shit!" Craig shouted, applying more pressure so that Cartman's back dug deeper into the wall. "It doesn't matter what Tweek deals with, he's still a much better person than you'll ever be! I'm sick of your shit, just shut up about Tweek before I fucking make you!"

"Ooh, you're a bit protective over your boyfriend, aren't you? Threatening me and everything? I'd calm down if I were you, before you get as mad as him and and up getting sent there your-"

Cartman was interrupted by a punch to his jaw. Before long, he was on the floor, being ambushed with furious hits to his abdomen as weeks of built-up anger over his harsh words was unleashed.

"CRAIG TUCKER, get off him right now!"

Just as the hand of the returned teacher was placed on his arm, he brushed it off and rose to his feet, looking at Cartman with satisfaction. He didn't care what looking at such an injured person with a positive emotion seemed like; the bastard had deserved it.

"To the principal's office, now!" the teacher bellowed, before she turned to one of her students staring at the scene with wide eyes. "Kevin, go get the nurse!"

"Yes miss," he said, scurrying away. A hand was placed back on Craig's arm, tugging in the direction of the door.

"I said the principal's office! I'm not letting you go alone; you'll only end up leaving."

Craig rolled his eyes, but allowed himself to be escorted through the halls. He wasn't worried. No punishment would make him think twice about his actions.

The teacher only left after Craig had sat down in the chair for a few minutes, not showing any signs of moving. His arms were crossed, his leg resting on the other. It wasn't until the door to his side opened and he saw a flash of blonde hair that he jumped out of his seat. Right after, he felt like a fool. Of course it wasn't Tweek, what was he thinking? Kenny McCormick, instead, raised an eyebrow at Craig's sudden movement before he walked away, his hands buried in the pockets of his parka. There was then a call from inside the room, and Craig sighed before he entered the room.

"Craig Tucker?" the principal said as she looked away from her paperwork. "It's been a while since you've been here. Take a seat."

He did so, handing her a piece of paper that his teacher had given him silently. She read it, her face expressionless aside from the odd moment of her eyes widening for a split second.

"To put it simply, she returned to find you on the floor, hitting Eric Cartman numerous times?" she questioned, receiving a simple nod in reply. "You do realise, Craig, that such violence is not allowed here at South Park High."

"Neither should be some of the shit that he comes out with, but you know, they're just words so you don't care about that."

"Language, Craig! Yes, we _do_ care about that, but you could have seriously injured Eric, judging by what Miss Roberts has told me!"

Apparently, smirking wasn't the right thing to do in this situation. It just didn't help that those words made him even more satisfied.

"This is _not_ a smiling matter! I thought that you were a great student with so much potential, but this is has made be begin to think otherwise."

That is what made Craig start to become angry himself. "This doesn't have anything to do with potential! That fatass insulted one of my closest friends, who isn't even here any more! Aren't you against bullying and all that? So why only get mad at me?"

"We will talk to Eric about this. I'm not saying that he will not be punished. But Craig, violence is never the answer. We have spent many years here trying to rid the school of violence."

"As if one person would-"

"If one person thinks it's all right to resolve issues with another student through violence is acceptable, then others will begin to, as well. This is why suspension-"

" _Suspension?"_

" _.._ Is how we deal with this. I will call your parents, letting them know that you will, for two weeks, be suspended."

"You can't be serious," Craig said. "You can't just suspend someone for defending their friend!"

"I am suspending you to teach you that this behaviour is unacceptable."

Craig's fists slowly clenched. He couldn't care less about the suspension itself – he was just worried about what his parents would do. What if they took away the keys to his car, not allowing him to use that new license? What if they took it for _months_? It had already been a few months since he hadn't saw Tweek. The plan had been to find the address and go, it was simple. At least, it would have been without this. It seemed as though he would maybe have to go through with this plan sooner than he thought.

"Fine," Craig said through gritted teeth. "I'm not sticking around anyway."

He ignored her calls after him as he stormed out of the office and made his way out of the school. Grabbing the brand new keys out of his pocket, he unlocked the door of his car and stepped inside.

First stop, the house of Mr and Mrs Tweek.

* * *

He knew the route to the house off by heart from the school and made it there in barely any time at all. Not hesitating once he was stood outside it, he raised one hand and knocked on the door loudly. Mrs Tweak answered, looking surprised to see Craig there.

"I didn't expect to see you here," she said. "Can I help you?"

"I need you to tell me where Tweek is," he said simply. She sighed and shook her head.

"You're not thinking of driving over to see him, are you?"

"And you're not? He's your son, for God's sake! Are you just going to let him stay there all by himself, with no visitors? It's been well over ten weeks! Imagine what that must feel like!"

"I want to visit him," she said, her voice trembling as though tears were going to pour down any minute. "I _do_ Craig, believe me. But… But I'm scared that he'd hate me for encouraging him to go back there. The doctors say he's not feeling the best right now and I'm scared that… That I'd be the reason for that."

"You wouldn't be," Craig argued. "He chose to go back himself. You didn't force him to do anything, all right? So you wouldn't be the reason for that."

"You're right, I just… I can't face him yet, I'm sorry. I will, I promise, I just don't have it in me. But… That's not going to stop me from letting you go."

She grabbed a pen and notepad from a nearby cabinet and began to write down an address. When it was handed to him, he found that her handwriting was very similar to Tweek's. It wasn't the same, though. Craig would never forget how Tweek's looked.

"Thank you," he said, turning his body round to leave, but a hand on his arm stopped him. He turned to find that the tears she had been holding back had started to fall.

"If you're going to go, then please give him a message from me," she begged. "Tell him that his mother loves him and that'd she'll be there soon."

It was a tiny sentence, but Craig knew the importance and emotion behind it. So he nodded.

"I promise I will," he said, continuing his walk out of the house when the hand was released from his arm. He felt her eyes on him the whole time he walked down the path, and so turned to smile at her reassuringly once he was sat inside his car. She looked surprised, but that emotion was quickly replaced with gratitude and a heart-warming smile.

He glanced down at the address given to him as he turned on the engine. He'd be travelling for a couple of hours, maybe more, but it was worth it. He wasn't just seeing a friend any more; he was passing on a message. That made this even more important to him.

Before he started driving, he had a quick glance at his phone. Fifteen missed calls and three text messages. He sighed, deciding to type a message before he left. Calling would only take longer – he'd definitely be ranted to.

 _'Cartman insulted Tweek, that's why I ended up fighting him. I know that you're probably going to end up banning me from driving so I'm going to go and see him now while I have the chance. I should be back by tonight.'_

Before he even gave enough time to receive a reply, he turned off the phone and began to make his way to Tweek.

 _'Hang in there,'_ he thought to himself. ' _I'll be there soon enough.'_

The hours passed by painfully slow. What took three hours felt like the longest days of his life. But finally, after all those times of biting his lip as he checked the time, he arrived. For some reason, he hadn't expected the institution to look so _basic._ He didn't exactly understand why. Perhaps it was the way it had affected Tweek last time that had given him an image of what the hospital looked like, or maybe he just had expected it to look different than a regular hospital. Either way, he was finally there. His palms were beginning to sweat from nerves; something that he had rarely experienced. But he still allowed himself to put one trainer in front of the other and open the main doors.

He glanced around once inside, realising that he was indeed the right place. It wasn't like an exaggerated image of what a mental institution would look like, but he _did_ see a patient mumbling into their hands and another looking around nervously. He guessed that anyone else was in their rooms or a lounge, if they had something like that.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist smiled at him warmly.

"Um, yes, I was hoping I would be able to visit someone?"

"We usually have an hour in the evening for visitors, I'm afraid."

"Ah, I see… I just haven't seen him in months and I have a message from his mother."

"I'll see what I can do. What's his name?"

"Tweek Tweak."

There was a hesitation which made Craig's heart, which had previously been calmer from the woman's kind presence, beat a little faster.

"Tweek is… Well, he's been missing since this morning. We haven't told his parents yet because we were sure we would find him today. It's rare that people go missing but every time they do, they always turn up in the hospital or nearby it."

Craig had to take a couple of moments to process the information. "Missing? He's missing?"

"I'm afraid so. But we're doing everything we can to find him."

Just as she finished those words, two security guards entered the foyer, walking over to the receptionist.

"Could you get Tweek Tweak's parents on the phone?" they asked.

"Why, what's happened? Have you found him?"

"He's on the rooftop, threatening to jump. We're hoping that they could convince him not to."

"Wait, he is?" Craig demanded.

"Who are you?"

"I'm his friend. Please, show me how to get up there, I need to speak to him!"

"I don't think you can-"

"Listen, he's more likely to listen to me than a bunch of nurses or whoever is up there. That's probably just going to scare him. Please, you _have_ to take me to him!"

The security guards exchanged glances, before one sighed, rubbing his neck.

"I don't think we have much of a choice."

Nothing else was said as they showed him the way to the rooftop, tensions rising as they climbed up the steps. Craig burst out of the door to find another three security guard, a nurse and what Craig guessed was a counsellor stood on the roof. A messy haired blonde stood far too close to the edge, his back to everyone on the roof.

"Let me through," Craig said, walking forward. The people turned, but obviously out of options, let him walk past. "Tweek, it's me."

The head rose up from looking down at the roads below, turning slowly. Large eyes widened in disbelief.

" _Craig?_ What… What are you d-doing here?"

"I couldn't wait any longer before visiting you," Craig said, hesitantly stepping forward. "Tweek, please don't do this."

"Why not? Nothing has ever been right for me. S-Seventeen years, and it's all been hell from the moment I was born. Happiness has never lasted with me. I don't think it ever could."

"Tweek, we can help you," the nurse said. "Please, Tweek, just give us a chance."

"I did. I gave you a chance for two years. You're lovely, but… It's me that's the issue. I'm never going to get better. It's like my brain is a-against me being happy."

"You _can_ be happy," Craig said. "Remember all the joyful times with me, Token and Clyde? You can have all that again, Tweek. All those times we had fun together, they're not over. We can do that again."

Tweek looked down at his feet as he spoke, "I've missed you so much. You were the only thing that made me happy."

"Then focus on us, not the things that causes you pain. Imagine those times we had and all of the other things waiting for us in the future. If you need a reason to keep on living, think of that."

Tweek's head raised back up, and though his face was wet and glistening with tears, he was smiling.

"That's always been the only thing that's kept me going," he said. "Knowing I have you in my life, knowing I have friends. Maybe… Maybe I just needed to be reminded of that."

Craig, mainly out of relief from hearing those words, smiled back and reached out his hand.

"Then please, come down from that ledge so you can make more memories with us."

Tweek's smile grew as he reached out his own hand and began to step down off the ledge. However, the smile on his face was wiped away when his feet slipped on the concrete beneath him, causing him to fall backwards out of sight.

* * *

 **A/N:** I mean, 'Craig and Tweek then held hands and skipped into the sunset.'

I don't think I ever write a nice and fluffy fanfic xD God, I'm sorry, I'm so cruel.

Despite the fact that my fanfics are depressing as hell, I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review if you have a moment, it will help make my busy self take a moment to get the next chapter written in less time.

Until the next - and last - update!


	10. Moving On

**A/N:** SO sorry for the huuuuge delay, life got in the way in the 'I don't know how I am even managing to have a life, maintain my hobbies and meet Chris Jericho now I am in college' kind of way. But yeah, here's the last chapter - that's why it's super short. It seems as though the realistic fanfics I have facing serious, real-life issues (like 'I'll Save You') end better without a purposely dragged-out chapter. So yeah.

ANYWAY, I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

 **Returned**

 **Chapter Ten - Moving On**

* * *

Craig had never known what mourning felt like until now.

He knew what it was, of course. He knew how it affected people, gave them grief as they remembered the lives of who they had lost. His own friend's mother had died years ago so he had witnessed mourning for himself. But never had he experienced it for himself.

The amount of pain inside him was overwhelming. All his life, he had tried to make his heart void of any emotion, especially negative ones. He had no choice to pull through the sadness this time, however. No person could live through the death of their close friend with happiness.

If life was fair, his hand would have reached just far enough so it could have grabbed onto Tweek's and pull him to safety. But it wasn't. Life was unfair, making his fingers seem so close, yet in reality, be far. With wide eyes, he had to watch his friend fall all the way down to the concrete below, a fall with no other possible result than death. Still, though he knew it was impossible, he had raced past the nurses and security guards, down the flights of stairs and out of the building, wishing for a miracle. He hoped that all of the people gathered around him would be shouting that he was still alive, that he somehow managed to survive. But they weren't. There were screams as people looked at the deceased body of Tweek, cries over how a young person's life ended so horribly, shouts of confusion from those who couldn't see.

" _Move! Get out the way, he's my friend!"_

He had pushed past the people gathered around and crouched down by his friend's side. He knew it was hopeless, and yet, he grasped onto his friend's hand, not even noticing the tears pouring down his face.

" _Don't you dare die on me now, Tweek! Not after everything you've been through!"_

Several more people started to sob as they watched Craig, who had started being pulled back by people he didn't even see the faces of, their words of how they needed to take the body seeming like it was miles away. The body? How could they just call him that? Minutes ago he had been smiling, he had been a person, he had been _alive…_

It was no wonder that Craig had stayed silent for weeks after. He confined himself in his room, the curtains drawn as he spent hours simply staring at the ceiling. His tears had ceased long ago, leaving him with the mere feeling of emptiness. He barely ate, never talked to anyone, not even Clyde or Token. Ironically, it wasn't until the funeral that he became more alive. That was when realisation struck.

After everything Craig had told Tweek to stop him from jumping, he realised how much he needed to give himself encouragement, too. It wouldn't be fair to Tweek for him to stop living his own life because his friend's had ended. Tweek would have wanted Craig to have what he had always wanted his friend to have himself – happiness. Yes, Craig gave himself the time to grieve over his first close loss, but now he needed to move on and heal. That's what Tweek would tell him if he was able to. The funeral was of course heart-breaking, but imagining Tweek next to him, telling him to continue with his life gave him a feeling of control and will-power, something he thought he would never have at a funeral.

He pushed several strands of black hair away from his eyes as he looked down at his friend's tombstone. His smile was one of both sadness and happiness. The hair he had been holding away from his face fell back into their place when he bent down besides the tombstone to replace the previous, deceased flowers with hydrangeas. If there was anyone who had been so persistent despite difficulty, it was Tweek. Capturing the right meaning in a flower seemed like the best Craig could do for Tweek now that he was gone – aside from continuing his own life, of course. It was precious, small details like this, however, that made Craig feel like he was truly acknowledging Tweek's existence. Even now, two years later, he still did this at least once every two weeks. He was busy, but knew he had to take a little time out of his life to remember who he had lost.

"I got into the college that I've always wanted to go to, Tweek," he murmured under his breath as though Tweek was standing right behind him. "You know, I was worried that I did really badly. I guess I do have luck on my side after all."

Craig laughed, before getting back up to his feet. He was well aware Tweek couldn't hear him, but it somehow provided him comfort imagining that he _could,_ that he was now next to his side, smiling at his friend's success. It had been like this with every success Craig had achieved during Tweek's passing.

Not only had Craig managed to be accepted into college, he had also been doing talks for various schools on mental health and how it can affect lives. After seeing how badly Tweek was affected by his own health, Craig was determined to get people to realise how mental issues can be just as severe as physical issues, how it _can_ end lives, that it _was_ real. Awareness was vital in the treatment of mental illnesses – if more people are aware, then they know how to respect and be there for those who are affected by them. Of course, Craig also talked about treatment, to help both the understanding of the students in case a friend or family member became mentally ill, and also to hopefully reach out and assist those who are potentially dealing with a mental illness themselves. He hoped that if Tweek _was_ able to see him from the afterlife, then he was watching and proudly smiling over his friend's efforts to save lives.

After all, when all seems to be lost, the only way is forward.

* * *

 **A/N:** So even though I've made you guys go through A LOT of emotion I think I ended on a positive note there.

Sorry for my really delayed updates, but thank you for sticking with the story! I hope you all enjoyed it. I promise that my next one (focused on once again Damien and Pip) will be a lot less depressing. I'm SO looking forward to it so hopefully I'll see you there! Thank you for reading.


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